MOWDTRAIN 
MC^SANDCM^ 



|:|IMI5 :0N SHOanNG 



AiND 



HUNTiNGGAME 




fKRiJEKICnU.ERB. JR. 




Class b^ H 3i 

Book Yh^. 

Copyrightible 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



How to Train Dogs and Cats 



Hints on Shooting 
and Hunting Game 



Life Experience of Frederick H. Erb, Jr. 



Press of Jennings & Graham 
Chicago 



LffiRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Cooles Received 
AUG 13 1904 
A Cooyrleht Entry 
yUAx£y IV - 1 c^ ^ 
CLASS Du XXi. Na 

' COPY B 



^feO 



Copyright 1904 
By Frederick H. Erb, Jt 



^ 




FRED. ERB, JR. 



INDEX. 

A Dog on Point '2-2 

Author Will Train Dogs to do Anything 94 

Beagles 37 

Broken Limbs 27 

Chesapeake Bay Dog 36 

Destroying Fleas U 

Difference Between Pointers and Setters i5 

Dog Choking 27 

Dogs Feeding 24 

Dog Shows 34 

Dogs IvIouthing a Bird 20 

Dogs of Different Breeds 54 

Ducks, Geese and Brant 59 

Game Protection 43 

Golden Plover 64 

Gun Shy Dogs 21 

Has Handled Over Three Thousand Dogs 25 

Has Lost But Five Dogs 25 

How TO Shoot 44 

How TO Take a Gun Apart 45 

Hunting Wagon 31 

Infallible Remedy For Distemper 26 

Infallible Remedy for Canker of the Ear . 26 

Infallible Remedy for Mange 26 

Jack Snipe 63 

Life Experience With Dogs and Game 7 

Loads for Trap Shooting 45 

Model Kennels 30 

Muzzling Dogs 29 

Offensive Breath 26 

Pheasant 66 

Points to Remember 45 



Prairie Chickens 69 

Quail 64 

Rabbit Shooting 59 

Retrieving 19 

Retrieving Wolf 41 

Revolver Shooting 53 

Rules for Field Work 12 

Rules for Point Work 16 

Rules for Training Dogs to Retrieve 9 

Sending Dogs on Trial 32 

Shipping Dogs 25 

Shooting off Roller Skates 48 

Sketch of Author's Life 86 

Some of Author's Famous Scores 79 

Squirrel Hunting 57 

Stocking the State with Game 44 

Teaching Dogs to Point 14 

Teaching Dogs Not to Quarrel 24 

Training Cats 56 

Training Girls and Eoys to Shoot 51 

Trick Dogs 38 

Two Months Old Pointer 19 

Two Months Old Setter 22 

Unrivaled Record of Success With Distemper 25 

Wild Turkeys 71 

Wonderful Success Made by Author 74 

Woodcock 68 

Worm Medicine t6 



A LIFE-TIME EXPERIENCE. 

After a life-times experience with dogs of all kinds, in all kinds 
of field zvork, at all seasons of the year and under every possible con- 
dition, I feel competent to claim a knozvledge of dogs, birds, gnns and 
game, that will be valuable as well as interesting to the reader. 

I have hunted for nearly forty years, from the time when I helped 
my father furnish game for the people crossing tJic plains and journey- 
ing to the unopened West, to the present day, and whether in the Mid- 
dle States, on the zucstern plains, or azvay down South, the pleasure and 
charm of the free, open air life has never been lost. 

My life has alzvays been in the Held from a youngster, and to the 
end of 7ny days I hope to roam over hills and prairies, among the game 
and birds, with my dogs and gun. 

Looking back through the years on the many happy days so spent, 
I offer to all the benefits of my life's experience, in the hope that by 
tJic aid of this book they may learn to know the value and necessity 
of a thorough training for the dog that is to be companion as well as 
helper in the long days of a hunt, and appreciate any facts that zvill 
help to preserve his health and usefulness and increase his knozvledge 
and ability. 

All lovers of cats zcill zuelcome my advice in regard to the care and 
training of them, and if my rules are follozved, none need to fear the 
slight illnesses that often cause so much anxiety, nor even the more 
serious ones, zuhilc the increased intelligence of the pets zvill more than 
repay the careful study of this book. 




RETRIEVERS. 



HOW TO TRAIN DOGS AND CATS. 



Hints on Shooting and Hunting Game. 



I find many ups and downs in different dogs of different breeds. 
Some people will say they have the only breed of dogs. Now, whai 
standpoint they get that from I would like to know. ]\Iy life's expe- 
rience has been that about two dogs out of ten show good nose scent, 
so you see that a person's chances are not the best to get a sure one, 
or a high class field dog, at all times. But you can reverse things 
by proper training and make fair field dogs out of them by breaking 
them to retrieve first, and teaching them to always stand their dead 
bird first before retrieving it. This will get them interested in their 
nose work and will give them a good start to use their noses on live 
birds in the field and will make fair shooting dogs out of them. I 
always like to start on a dcig at six months old. as he is then at the 
height of his ambition, and can be taught to do anything a great 
deal easier than when older, and nine times out of ten he will be ready 
to handle the coveys or flocks of birds he may come in contact with. 
The best dogs I have ever seen were brought up at that age. Ninety- 
nine men out of one hundred that own dogs do nothing but feed them 
well and keep them in a cellar or a closed yard for a year, then ask 
some handler to train their dogs. Off the dog goes, scared to death 
the minute he is j)Ut in the box for shipment until the handler gets 
him. Now, what does the handler do? The only thing for him to do 
is to pet and try to make friends with him. No success; let him loose 
and he runs off. and you can't help but say the handler is up against 
a hard proposition. But, if the owner would get off his pup at six 
months to the handler, or take the pup out walking so he would get used 
to seeing things, it would take all the cowardice out of him. Look at 
horses at one and two years old making world records ! They are not 
shut up in a box-stall and not let out, but are given plenty of good 
exercise and are petted, and this is the way dogs ought to be treated. 

When taking a young dog into the field let him go and do as he 
pleases for the first few times. This will encourage him to hunt and 
not be afraid of you, and get an idea of what you want him to do. 
Then, when you want him to settle down for work, so you won't have 



to whip him, or take any of his high ambition out of him, let him 
drag a chain, say about three feet long, and if he don't cut his ground 
up to suit you, hang two chains on him. N'ow, don't try to do this 
in one day, but take from ten days to two weeks; then put him on 
birds. You will see he will make points and hold his birds and will 
not jump in, as he will be afraid the chains will lick him. Don't get 
excited yourself, but let the dog get excited and anxious and you 
watch him. Some of the best dogs that ever lived will make many 
mistakes during the day, and the mistakes your dog makes will be 
easy to overcome by your watching him. Read this book over care- 
fully and pick out the best points that will help you work your dog. 
I have worked over three thousand dogs and traveled many miles over 
the country to show how dogs worked that I broke by the rules of 
this book. 

If you have a wild dog, hang a chain on him. Get a window 
weight about a foot long and snap a four foot chain in the hole in 
the weight, having the chain just long enough to lie on the ground at 
the dog's front feet, so that there will be no danger of his getting fast 
in anything. A week or ten days of this will make a different dog out 
of him. Keep the chain and weight on him until he minds you, but 
as soon as he minds, take the weight off and let him drag the chain, 
and when lie understands, he will stop running away or chasing chick- 
ens, and will be obedient to the voice or whistle. At first, when the 
chain is finally taken off, he will not go out far, but encourage him a 
little and he will soon begin to cut up his ground right and left, and if 
at the same time you train him to mind your whistle, or the move- 
ments of your hand to right or left, you will find that you will not 
have to call him or frighten the farmers or the game by loud noises. 

Ninety-nine men out of one hundred want a dog that don't get away 
from them more than fifty to one hundred yards. 

To have success in hunting you must keep your dog under control. 
If you have a dog that ranges wide and fast do not lose your head 
and get excited, as most hunters are apt to. If your dog is fast 
don't hunt fast, but every little while stop and let your dog locate 
you; but with the slow dog, follow him. If you want to go to the 
left or right, whistle, and the dog will look up and he will see you 
move your hand, which is a signal to go to the left or right. If you 
have a fast dog, hang a couple of chains on him and let him drag 

10 



them for a while till he gets to understand your signals, and when 
you have him under good command, take your chains off of him 
and you will be able to work the fast dog just as well as the slow 
dog. The chains will break nine out of ten dogs of this bad fault, and 
also teach a dog to quarter his ground up nicely. He will also pay 
all attention to you when you speak to him or blow the whistle, as he 
is on his guard, thinking if he don't mind you that you will put the 
chains on him again. No matter how tired he is, if he don't mind you, 
hang a chain on him until he does mind you. You will see some dogs 
coax and come in and stay around you and bark for you to take the 
chains off, so they can go out and do as they please, but don't pay any 
attention, go right along and the dog will go out and hunt when he 
sees you will not take the chain off. If your dog is broken by my 
system to make a perfect retriever out of him before you go into the 
field, you will not have any trouble. 

Teach your dog to have confidence in himself. I always teach a dog 
to retrieve first and to be obedient. I always say "Hold," and then 
"Go fetch dead." When he comes in with what he was sent after I 
say "Hold," raising my hand and then taking it from his mouth. Al- 
ways stand still and let your dog do the hunting, and retrieve the 
dead bird or bundle right up to you. Then, after I have him a nice 
retriever, I put him at the v/ords "Charge'' or "Drop." That means 
"Lie down." After you get him to charge nicely, then have him charge 
and stay there and you move back a few feet at a time; then say, 
"Come boy," moving the hand at the same time ; moving the hand 
comes handy when your dog is a long way off, and you want him 
to go to the left or right. Always blow your whistle also when you 
desire your dog to go to the left or right ; when you want your dog 
to come in from the field, blow your whistle two or three times in 
succession. Now, you have him under good control and ready to go 
in the field. 

If he don't get right out to hunt, don't say anything to him, and 
don't pet him; just go along and let him alone and he will go out him- 
self. Or, if you have a friend who has a dog that will hunt, it would 
be a good idea to have him go along with you and take his dog. 

Now, when your dog gets out to hunt, and will stay out, put him on 
game, and you will find that you will have very little trouble to keep 
him out, as now he is interested in the game. Then, if he chases, hang 
the chain on him a few times and he will quit it. 

11 

L.ofC. 



Now you are ready to shoot. Try and kill a bird once in a while, 
and say, "Go, hunt dead;" or "Fetch," also moving the hand, as you 
have the dog under good control. Always say, "Charge !" when you . 
shoot or the birds flushes. It is better for you a few times, when your 
dog points and the bird flushes, to watch your dog and just pull the 
gun off in the air. and j^ou can then see what bad tricks your dog has 
and catch him in the act. When you have your dog under good con- 
trol, he won't need any watching, and then you can enjoy shooting 
and have a fine day's sport. 

To teach a dog to follow, or what is called "heel." Tie him to 
the hind end of a wagon with a loose chain and drive slowly a few 
days and say "Heel." If he wants to go by the wheel, tap him back 
with the whip. Then always, when you want to let him loose, take 
him by the chain away from the wagon a little distance, and then say, 
"Go," or "Hunt him up." By moving the hand, also, after a few times 
this way, all you will have to do then is to get out of the buggy and 
let him loose, and he will be off and hunt from the buggy the same 
as afoot, and then you will have a dog that when you blow your 
whistle will come in and heel to the buggy as well as afoot and go 
at the command. 

The way to start a dog in the water — not too cold water — is for 
you to wade in small sloughs or ponds and lead the dog a few times 
and he will find out that it will be fun and will take to it in 
fine shape. But let this be in shallow water before you put him in 
deep water where he has to swim. Don't throw yotir dog in as it 
Vv'ill spoil him ; and don't try to have him go too far out in the water 
where he has to swim, the first time or two ; and then when he does 
swim, which will be on his own accord, he will go and fetch anything 
out of the water you send him after. 

Under my system of training, when the dog points, I go up to him 
and say, "Steady," calling him by name, and rub him down, and then 
pick him up by the tail. This teaches him not to be afraid; and then 
I look around for a while, and then walk in on the birds and always 
flush the birds myself, unless it is in a place I cannot see to shoot. 
Then I order my dog to go in and get them up, as we have to do in 
woodcock shooting a great deal. Then I use the word "Charge," or 
"Drop," or "Go fetch." or "Hunt dead." 

Remember to stand still and let your dog go "hunt dead" and 

12 



fetch it to you. If you see he can not tind it, then go an^ help him. 
Sometimes a dog's nose gets off, and he can not smell anything, or he 
is probably overheated, or has not the best nose, and by your helping 
him it will go a long ways toward making a perfect dog of him and 
will encourage him to do his work better. 

Always keep burrs combed out of your dog's flanks or wherever 
they can rub him. Always keep your dog out of a cold draught while 
riding; always feed the dog well. Judge a dog by yourself and treat 
him kindly. 

To teach the dog to jump in the wagon: Have the dog go a 
riding a few times, so he will like it, lifting him in a few times. Then 
he will try to get in himself, but assist him in a half way, so the dog 
will think he has done it all himself, and in a few times he will get in 
at the word "Jump." Have lots of patience and don't get mad and 
grunt and kick. Take it out on yourself. 

To keep a dog from barking, under my system of training, go out 
and strap him well ; then take a chain and put it around his neck 
and snap it a couple of times in the snap, whether he is tied or not 
and leave it on him, and a few strappings will break him of this ; and 
always say "Charge" or whistle when he barks. 

If he digs up in the kennel or yard, hang a chain on him and snap 
■t once or twice around his neck, so that when he goes to dig, it will 
get tangled up in his feet, and he will soon quit. 

Any of the dog foods now on the market will do to feed a dog, 
as they are all good, and a dog can stand up to them in good shape. 

Always keep your dog clean and in a clean kennel. If your dog 
has fleas, take him away from the kennel to the woods or fields, and 
use this mixture : 

MIXTURE FOR FLEAS. 

Put one gallon of coal oil in a jug; then take two pounds of com- 
mon vaseline and melt in a bucket on the stove, and then pour in the 
jug with the coal oil and it will mix. Saturate a cloth or sponge 
with the mixture and soak your dog from head to foot, and he will 
ru^i around and drop the fleas. It will take all the old or dead hair 
ofi' the dog, which will soon be replaced with a new growth. Always 
take your dog away from the kennel when applying the mixture. By 
doing this a few times you will get rid of the fleas in your kennel. You 

13 



can never destroy fleas around a kennel except by burning them up, 
and as fleas breed every 12 to 24 hours, the warmer the weather the 
quicker, they accumulate very rapidly. But by taking yoar dog away 
from the kennel when you apply the mixture, you will soon get rid of 
them even around your kennel, as you thus prevent their multiplying. 
Apply the mixture once a week and about half a mile from the kennel. 
You don't need to wash your dog if you do not want to, as it w'ill 
not hurt him. 

To teach your dog to honor another dog when pointing : If your 
dog is not a natural backer on sight of another dog that has a point, 
don't undertake to lick him into a back, as nine dogs out of ten are 
made cowards in this way ; it must be natural for them to back. 

Let your dog drag a chain to the collar, the heavier the better. 
There is nothing that will make a dog cut up his ground and hunt 
better and do it on his own accord. After a week or ten days you 
will have this all done. If the dog is a fast and wild one, put double 
chains on him; if he is a rabbit chaser, let hmi run one or two and 
drag the chain, and then take a strap and tan his jacket good, and he 
will soon quit chasing. If your dog chases tame chickens, hang the 
chain on him ; there is nothing like letting a dog break himself of all his 
bad faults. I will take the worst chaser and in ten days break him. 
Anyhow, I don't believe in howling and whistling all the time at a dog. 

POINT WORK. 

"What is his point work?" is the flrst question asked nine times 
out of ten by amateurs and people who have never seen a dog point. 

There are two different ways by which dogs find game to point — 
by wind scent and by ground scent. 

The air or wind scent points are all made at a long distance by 
dogs that hunt with a high head, and they go like the wind without 
a stop. 

The ground scent points are made at shorter distances and the 
dog runs with his nose close to the ground, like a hound trailing coon 
or rabbit. 

While you are hunting there may be a day when the birds don't 
move much, and there is no wind blowing. If, then, you have a high- 
headed dog depending on the wind scent, he will lose out against the 
dog that is nosing the ground all the time, as the birds don't have to 

14 




POINT WORK. 



move much for him to smell them, and so he gets into many Hkcly 
places that the high-headed dog passes. Under most conditions of time 
and place, he is the dog for the amateur who goes out but once or twice 
a year to kill game over. 

Very few dogs make a point alike. I'he reason probably is that 
they do not catch the scent the same way, and so the points are not 
quite the same. In the same way the dogs' tails move differently. 
There is a certain movement which the tail must make before it can 
stiffen out, and the direction of the scent seems to determine the posi- 
tion of the tail. 

We know dogs' tails are. a guide to them. To prove this, watch 
a dog while swimming and see if he does not use his tail to guide him. 
If a dog that cannot swim be put in shallow water, he will only splash 
vvith his front feet, but take him into deep water, put one hand under 
his breast and with the other hold his tail out of the water, then 
give him a little push with the hand on the breast and let go of the 
tail at the same time, and you will see him start swimming with a 
moving tail. The moving of the front feet and the tail floats him 
and the tail acts as a guide. 

Many men, even writers of books, think that a pointer is an easier 
dog to train and care for than a setter. To one who knows how, it is 

15 



no more trouble to handle a setter than a pointer, for the field. The 
question is merely one of choice, as the care and training are practically 
the same. If a dog is wanted for the water, the setter is the better 
dog on account of his coat. Never cut a setter's coat, as it makes it 
rough, but keep it smooth and glossy by combing it frequently with 
a large toothed comb. Keep your dogs free from fleas and lice. The 
fleas are bred in the dust and the lice come from pigeon lofts or 
chicken houses. Always pick the wood ticks out of your dogs' or 
cats' ears. 

If your dog or cat hurts himself, always pet him. Use toilet water 
in a pet's bath, to perfume his coat. 

Keep a clean kennel or box, and keep the kennel yard clean. Al- 
ways have a shovel and broom at hand to use as needed. If the ken- 
nel yard is dusty, wet it at night and it will be fresh in the morning. 

Keep 3^our dog close at night and don't let him bark. Go out to 
him if he does and hang a chain or bell on him, and if he is bound 
to bark strap him a few times, using the word "Charge" and blow the 
v/histle. He will soon learn to stop and if he begins again, start after 
him with the strap, saying "Charge," and he will understand and be 
quiet. A few nights will cure him. 

When your dogs or cats have fits or spasms, are poor and thin, and 
you can't fatten them ; when their hair looks rough and falls out, and 
they have a dry, hot nose, and their ^yes look badly, treat them for 
worms. 

WORM MEDICINE. 

Have a pill made from one and a half grains of powdered areca 
nut to the pound weight of the dog or cat, and give the pill on an 
empty stomach, after a twelve hours' fast. Open the dog's mouth and 
push the pill down the throat with the finger. Follow this in two 
hours with one teaspoonful of castor oil, if for a small dog or cat ; one 
and a half, if for a large one, or even two spoonfuls. Two hours after 
giving the oil, feed a little soft food, such as bread and gravy. Any 
druggist can make the pill. 

TEACHING A DOG TO POINT. 

It is not an easy thing to teach a dog to point. In the first place, 
a great many dogs have not a good nose scent, and many times there 
is no chance to find game to work the dogs on. 

I have found it easy to make a dog point no matter how young he 




itACHiNO A DO*.> lO POiiNi. 

was, by lireaking him to retrieve first ; then when sending him after the 
dead bird, I would call "Hold," just as soon as I saw him making 
scent on the bird, and it always won a point. 

When I first take a dog to the field and find a flock of birds, I 
do not shoot at them. In this way I get the dog interested and he 
will begin to point right and left. Then I walk up to the dog and 
say, "Hold," and pet him, and from that time on I will have no more- 
trouble. 

If a dog offers to stand tame chickens on the road or in the yard, 
encourage him by petting him. It will soon teach him that you expect 
him to stand or point. Of course, a great many think that standing 
by sight hurts a dog's field work. It does not hurt him at all. This 
shows the good qualities of the dog and that he has lots of game sense. 
When he scents the birds in the field he will be that much steadier and 
n^ake a nicer point than a green dog that knows nothing about point- 




TEACHING A DOG TO POINT. 

ing. Always try to get a dead bird of some sort to work your dog on. 
By breaking a dog to retrieve, by my system, he will always point his 
dead bird before he retrieves it. 

When you start your dog on point work be sure and go where you 
will find birds. Don't get excited when he points or flushes, but just 
lilow the whistle, which means to wait until you come to him ; keep 
cool and talk to him, saying "Steady" and "Hold." Have a whistle 
in your pocket at all times and blow it often, that the dog may get used 
to it and understand why you blow it and what it means. If your dog 
is fresh and unused to exercise, and is off like a shot as soon as freed, 
hang a chain on him and he will soon settle down and behave himself. 
Use the following words in the field : "Go hunt dead," "Go hunt him 
up." "Move to the right," or left, "Charge," or lie down, "Come heel," 
walk close to you, "Heel to the wagon," "Jump in the wagon," by name, 
and out the same way. Commence on a dog while young to work 
him in the field, or anywhere else, and the less words and noise you 
make in breaking him the better for both you and him. 



18 




RETRIEVING A BIRD. 

When you kill game, kt your dcg go and retrieve the dead, while 
you stand still, and let him fetch it to you. When he hrings in the 
hird always have him hold it a minute, while you raise your hand, and 
then take the bird from his mouth, and don't forget to pet him. 

The accompanying illustration shows a two-months-old puppy, which 
has been broken with my training device to retrieve. He has just. made 




TWO MONTHS OLD POINTER RETRIEVING. 



a retrieve about four hundred yards away in the timber, and wdien 
about twenty-five yards away was ordered to stop by saying "Charge," 
and raising a hand. He does not offer to drop the bird, but waits 

19 



the word of command. This is only one of the thousands of dogs I 
liave broken with my device, and I stand ready to go to any part of 
the world to show how easy it is to make fine retrievers of dogs from 
I wo months old and upwards, for use on land or water. 





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MOUTHING A BIRD. 

When a dog mouths a bird, after he picks it up. and starts to come 
to you mouthing it, follow these rules : Take a strap abqut a foot 
long, and calling your dog up to you. strap him across the nose two 
or three times. 

20 



Do this several times a day, at home, till he dodges the strap. 
Always hold him by the collar. After this send him out for the 
training sack and when he picks it up say "Hold," and walk toward 
him and shake the strap at him. He will soon have confidence in 
you and will know that he will get strapped across the nose. Repeat 
this several times, then take a dead bird and throw it out, give him 
the same lesson he had with the sack, and if he offers to mouth the 
bird, strap him across the nose. 

Then take him to the field and send him alter a bird and repeat 
the lesson, if needful ; l):it after a few days you will never have any 
more trouble with him on that ?core. The great secret in training 
a dog is to put him under command and not have him afraid of yon. 




IREAKING GUN SHY DOGS. 



Gun-shy dogs and bird-sh}' dogs are not so easily broken. My suc- 
cess in breaking them is due to my getting them interested in their 
own natural way. It is natural for a dog to like to carry and fetch. 
Under my system of training, I always teach them to retrieve first. 
As soon as I have a dog retrieving a bird of any kind in my yard T 

21 



have his confidence and have him interested in bird work and there 
is then no fear of his not going after the birds. When he will do 
this, you are ready to go into the field with him. Work him several 
days in the field without shooting a gun. You will soon see that he 
will get interested in the live birds. Be sure and kill a bird when you 
shoot, so that he can go and retrieve it for you. You will soon see 
how easy it is to break him by my system. It is a great waste of 
lime and bad for the dog to start him. as so many do, by shooting 
revolvers in the air, simply that the dog may hear the sound of the 
gun. There is no sense in that. 

While breaking a dog under my system of retrieving, using the 
rules found in my book, which accompanies the training device, no 
time will be lost, and the dog will advance rapidly and surely. 




TWO MONTHS OLD SETTER. 

The illustration of a two and a half-month-old full blooded setter 
pup, broken by the use of my training device, and which is seen 
retrieving a prairie chicken, shows the pup handling himself on game 
in the field like an old dog with a life experience on game. Commence 
with a dog young, give him a show, and see how quickly he learns. 

Many, when working, a dog in the field, grow careless about the 
position in which to hoH^ the gun when shooting over a point, and so 
the need is felt of showing how to hold it to avoid all danger of acci- 
dents. The dog is on point and in this case the field is open. In 
shooting over a point in the brush or corn field, carry the gun high, 
as it is easier to handle and there will be no danger of it hitting 
anything. All accidents happen by holding the gun down low. Either 

22 




ADVANCING ON GAME. - 

it catches in some obstruction, or, as the gun is raised, while swinging 
around quickly, the finger slips and another "accidental discharge" is 
added to the list of casualties. i\Iany a good dog has been killed in 




FEEDING TIMID DOGS. 



this way. Never go through a fence with the gun loaded, or set it 
down, if onl}^ for a minute, with the load in it, but take the load out. 
Feeding a bunch of dogs together is an excellent way to teach them 
to behave themselves and not quarrel. It is also a very good way to 
Ijreak timid dogs. I have had gentlemen from all parts of the world 
at my home, and after watching me feed as many as eighty-four dogs 
at a time, without a growl, or a bit of noise from one of them, have 
said it was a wonderful exhil^ition of good temper and training. It' a 
dog is timid and will not eat with the others at first, do not make the 




GIVING A DOG MEDICINE. 
24 



mistake of humoring him, but let him alone. He may not eat for a 
day or two, but he will soon get over that when he gets hungry and 
will be the first at the feed and will rapidly outgrow his timidity. 

After the dogs become used to eating together, begin to feed them 
on chains, one at a time, and they will soon understand that they are 
to wait their turns and keep quiet. Always use the word "Charge" 
and always mean just what you say. 

Accustom the dogs to the sound of the whistle as a signal that 
you are going to feed them and they will soon be as well behaved 
as one could wish. 

I find that table scraps, cooked meats and dog biscuits are the 
best all-around food for all kinds of dogs. Corn meal and much 
green stufif is bad for them, as it puts them in bad condition, either to 
work or to keep in the kennel, and will cause them to eat all kinds 
of dirty stuff. 

There are many diseases that a dog has to contend with. When a 
dog is sick treat him the same as you w^ould wish to be treated. Take 
care of him ; don't stick him off out of the way in some old box or 
cold place and then wonder why he don't get well. Watch him, that 
he does not get tired of lying on one side and help him turn over once 
in a while. 

Bear in mind that a dog sweats just like a person. Now, if you 
keep your dog in a cold kennel he v\-ill draw his head, towards his 
Hanks when he goes to sleep, and his hard breathing will make him 
sweat ; he will take cold and sickness will follow. To remedy this, 
oil his front and hind flanks w^ith the medicine given on page 26. 
and so ward off much sickness and disease. Keep the dog in a dry 
place and don't let him get wet or roll in the dirt. I have handled over 
three thousand dogs and have only lost live, which remarkable record 
1 attribute to my medicine and to my good nursing. 

SHIPPING DOGS. 

In shipping dogs, great care should be taken, as there is much 
liability to danger and sickness. Whether a puppy or a grown dog, 
he should always be put in a tight box, with open slats on top, and 
an opening three inches wide around the upper side of the box, with 
plenty of room, so that the dog can stand up and move around. Have 
plenty of bedding in the box and a water can in one corner of it, 



close up to the top. Put two cross pieces on the bottom, so that the 
dog will be up off of the floor; then bore a few holes in the bottom, 
under the watering can, so that any water spilt from the can will leak 
out and not wet the bedding. Always put a handle on each end of 
the box, so that it can be easily handled, and see to it that no draft 
can go through the box, to avoid the danger of the dog lying in it 
and so taking cold. In shipping a dog a long distance, put plenty of 
dog biscuits in the box and always give a light feed before you ship 
him. 

An ofifensive breath in either dog or cat is often caused by a bad 
condition of the kidneys. Procure a small bottle of "Harlem Oil," 
costing ten cents, from any druggist. For a small cat or dog, give 
five drops on a little sugar ; for larger dogs, eight to ten drops. Re- 
peat once or twice a week. Harlem Oil is also a fine remedy for 
matterated eyes. 

Directions for Use. — Drop one drop in each eye twice a day, morn- 
ing and evening. 

INFALLIBLE REMEDY FOR DISTEMPER. ' 

The following medicine is one which I value very highly and con- 
sider the chief cause of my wonderful success in keeping my dogs 
strong and healthy : 

Prescription : 

One quart of raw linseed oil. 

One half pint oil of tar, 

One pound of sulphur. 

]\Iix well in a jug and use as directed. 

For Distemper. — Rub the medicine well into the dogs' flanks and 
between his legs and he will lick it off. Do this once a week. If- he is 
a growing dog, give a large spoonful every other day ; small dogs and 
cats in proportion. 

For a Bad Case of ]Mange. — Rub the oil all over him twice a week. 

For a Bad Cough. — Give a teaspoonful after coughing. 

For Canker oe the Ear. — Drop ten drops in each ear twice a day. 

If the ear is very bad, drop a teaspoonful down it, which can be 
easily done by laying the dog down on the side opposite the sore ear, 
raising the flap of the ear and pouring the medicine in. The medi- 
cine will then run in easily and reach the sore places. Bandage the 




EXTRACTING A BONE FROiM A DOG'S THROAT. 

ear by tying a cloth around the head for fifteen or twenty minutes, so 
that the medicine cannot run out and by that time it will all be ab- 
sorbed. 

Sometimes a dog will get a bone or other obstruction in his throat 
and choke. Call for a broom handle and while keeping the dog on his 
feet by holding him firmly between j^our legs, hold his mouth wide 
open by pushing the handle well back across the dog's mouth. Now 
reach over the handle and pull the bone out. But never try to push 
the obstruction down. You can clean or even pull his teeth the same 
way. 

If a dog refuses to take his medicine without fighting, give it to 
him in this way, whether it be pill or liquid. 

It is easy to set the broken limb of a dog. I have set many a one. 
Once I had a dog that in jumping over a fence, fell into a ditch on 
the other side. I was many miles from home and all alone, but I set 
the limb right then and there. 



27 




SETTING A BROKEN LIMB. 

The first thing to do is to draw the leg into a natural position. 
Then take two pieces of light hoard, one-eighth of an inch thick and 
about the width of the dog's leg; have the boards full long, wrap 
them with cotton and over this draw a strip of cloth about two inches 
wide. Bring the boards one on each side of the broken leg and draw 
the strip tight, wrap it tightly around the splints about a dozen times 
and tie firmly. Change the bandage every few days, as the leg wiM 
swell more or less and the bandage will work loose, which must be 
prevented ; it must be kept tight and firm. 

For a Dog with a Broken Hip or Shoulder. — Put him in a small 
p'ace so that he cannot turn around and so lie on the broken part. 
Tlierc is no use in trying to keep a bandage on a broken hip or 
shoulder on account of the shape. Have two or three places for the 
dog to lie in, so that he will have a dry place at all times. Have a 
wall built about three or four feet high, so that he cannot climb out, 
for he will get very tired of lying in this place for five or six weeks ; 
but the quieter he is the sooner he w^ill get well. 

28 



To change a dog with a broken limb or a sick dog from one place 
to another, pick him up by taking hold of him at the center of his 
hips or back and at the back of his neck; he will feel no pain when 
you handle him so. Lay him down on the side that is not broken. If 
lie seems cross, muzzle him while setting the limb and pet him ; give 
him anything he wants to eat. so that he will gain strength. 




MUZZLING A DOG. 

It is cruel to keep a muzzle on a dog and useless, too. There is 
not a single good reason why a dog should be so tortured. No wonder 
he gets cross. 

It make-^ me tired to hear so much aliout mad dogs. What makes 

29 



a clog have fits is worms, that work either on the brain or the stomach, 
and so cause the fits and frothing at the mouth. Then some one runs 
and says that the dog is mad. If he were left alone he would lie stiil 
and after a while get up and stagger off and recover. But he is tor- 
mented till he gets wild. He should be treated for worms and given 
my medicine. This will cure him. 




A MODEL KENNEL. 

A thoroughly sanitary kennel should be raised three feet off the 
ground. Through the summer months the space under the flooring 
should be left open for the air to circulate freely and so keep the kennei 
cool and clean. This will also prevent any odor. In the winter time 
this space should be banked up to keep the floors warm. In this way 
the dogs are well cared for throughout the entire year. Never use a 
disinfectant about the kennel, as it injures the dog's nose and makes 
him sick. If he is troubled with fleas, take him away from the kennel 
and use my flea mixture ; if he has the distemper, use my distemper 
medicine. 

30 



HUNTING WAGON. 

There is nothing nicer than to have a hunting wagon to carry your 
dogs in whether you have two or twenty. It is easy to make a crate 
to set on a wagon bed. Have the crate built of slats two inches apart, 
and so made that the dogs cannot stand up in it ; then they will not 
quarrel or make dirt of any kind. Have the crate made with a double 
deck, the top rounding and covered with a good oil cloth, thoroughly 
A\ aterproof. 



,. 




M 


^1 




^^^^^^EC^Bliv^tBnRS^^^^b 




j^m^-' 


■1 


■ V ■' ■ 



A MODEL HUNTING WAGON. 



The second deck will permit a free circulation of air. and so keep 
the dogs cool, and can be used to store the guns and hunting outfit 
and the feed for the dogs. In stormy w^eather the oilcloth covering can 
be let down to completely cover the sides and the dogs will be kept dry 
and warm. There should always be plenty of clean straw for them to 
lie on. Have a hinge door made at the rear, that is, a door that can 
be raised or dropped, and have the dogs get in that way. Always carry 
a five-gallon jug of water in warm weather, as the dogs need water 

31 



often, and don't fail to make room for it. Carry feed as well. In this 
way your dogs will be safely carried, they will not bother any one on 
the road, and will be fresh to hunt when game is reached. This is 
the way to hunt to enjoy it, regardless of weather. 





f i. 






44| 


■ 


s -i ■ '■ 


3«4s|^L 


^ ■ "'^^^i- (lii^^^l 




.^Ippia 


^^9^1 



SENDING A DOG ON TRIAL. 



My advice is often asked in regard to sending dogs on trial. Don't 
do it. A handler can handle a dog on game without trouble, while 
■c\ stranger might not be able to do anything with hihi. One great rea- 
son for this is that the stranger will probably put the dog in some 
lonesome place, perhaps for days, until he is read}' to go out hunting, 
to try the dog. 

The dog should be given time and opportunity to become acquainted 
before being tested; then he should be taken where there is game to 
be worked on. There is no use in having a dog shipped to a person 
who knows little or nothing about dogs, or who goes out hunting but 
once or twice a year. And another thing, no dog can work unless 
given game to work on. The occasional hunter has lots to learn about 



clogs; how to handle them and what to expect of them in the field. 

It is folly to want to have a green dog trained by the month, as 
many require. This demand accounts for the many failures in training 
by unscrupulous handlers, who promise what they know they cannot 
perform, for the sake of getting the work other more conscientious 
handlers have refused. 

If a dog is to be trained, let him be well trained, to retrieve, to 
point, to mind gun or whistle, and be under good command at all 
times, and he will show up a good nose and learn to handle it on 
game. This cannot be done in one month. There are many things to 
take into consideration — continued wet weather, cold, raw days, pos- 
sibly the dog may get sick or lame, it may be too hot to work the dog, 
or too windy or bad for game, and all these things take time. 

The best thing to do is to make a contract with the handler, one- 
half down when the dog is received, the balance when the dog is 
broken perfectly, and is ready to show on game. 

Many delay the first payment for a month or two and then order 
the dog home on the pretense that he has been sold and promise a check 
on receipt of the dog. This they do, expecting to get a well broken 
dog on the cheap plan. 

A handler will not do much with a dog till he gets his first pay- 
ment, made according to contract, unless he knows with whom he is 
dealing. 

Again, they will order the dog home by express C. O. D., and then 
go and claim him and try to persuade the express company to give him 
up. Sometimes they succeed and then there is more trouble for the 
handler in making his claim good. 

Under my system, I get the dog to retrieve and understand what I 
say during the first month. Then the work of the second month in the 
field comes easy to him and the dog shows up in great shape. It takes 
time for the handler to learn how good the dog's nose is and what he 
is going to be good for. 

About the first of May is the best time to send a dog to the hand- 
ler. Then the weather is generally fine and there is little sickness 
among dogs. 

Of course, the handler will keep his dogs in a good kennel, dry 
and clean, but if the dog has been kept in the house, the change will 
be less sudden than in colder weather. Keeping a dog too warm, much 

33 



washing in either cold or hot water, and the excitement and exposure 
that always attend dog shows, are some of the chief causes of sickness 
among dogs. 

When a handler sends word that a dog is perfectly broken and 
ready to go home, either go to the handler's home or pay him to bring 
the dog to you and so see for yourself just how he is to be handled. It 
will be money well spent and will not only be very pleasant, but will 
help you in the future handling of your dog. 




PUTTING A DOG IN SHAPE FOR A DOG SHOW. 

When it is desired to put a dog in shape for a dog show, many 
points must be considered. One of the first is the condition of his 
coat. Instead of washing him in water and so rendering him liable 
to sickness, rub him thoroughly with the following mixture: 

Mixture. — One pound best vaseline, 
One pmt olive oil. 
Mix well. 

34 



Rub thoroughly into the hair and leave on for a couple of hours 
With a good brush work the oil well into the coat, back and forth and 
after the liair is well loosened by the hand brushing, comb it carefully 
with a coarse comb. When well combed, take a soft towel well 
warmed, and rub the hair till it is fine and dry. Repeat this once a 
week and there will be a great improvement in the dog's looks While 
at the show, rub the oil on each night and leave it, brushing, combing 
and polishing it m the morning. 




PUTTING A DOG IN SHAPE FOR A DOG SHO 



W. 



CHESAPEAKE BAY DOGS. 

Chesapeake Bay dogs are probably the best and most widely known 

of water dogs. They are as much at home in the water as an otter, 

and no matter how cold the water is, or how much ice is running, will 

go anywhere for dead game and retrieve it to you. They will dive 




CHESAPEAKE BAY DOG. 

after a crippled duck, no matter how deep he goes. They are fine dogs 
to locate a dead bird at a distance, either on land or water, and never 
lose a bird when sent out after it. They have a keen scent and are 
great hunters anywhere you put them. 



I have handled a great many of them and have always made fine re- 
trievers out of them. They can be broken very easily by the use of 
my training device. They are of a more of less nmid disposition 
and must be given kind treatment. They are easily put under com- 
mand of the M^histle, will v/ork to the motion of the hand, right or left, 
obey all commands and secure all game killed. 




BEAGLES. 

The king of rabbit dogs is the beagle. Small, alert, wonderfully 
clever, always wide awake and ready for fun or wor4<:, a beagle is a 
constant source of pleasure to either child or man.. He is easily trained 
and is quick to learn, and makes a good house dogmas well as rabbit 
dog. 

The first thing to teach a young beagle is to mind either word or 
whistle. Then take a horn to use as a signal, when going out hunting. 

Always start out when you blow the horn, and if the dog is an>- 
where within a mile of the house, he will soon come with a rush and 
on the full cry. In beginning to work him for rabbits, drag a piece 
of meat on a line for about ten feet, so that he cannot see it ; then 
put it on a stick two feet off the ground, so that he will have to use his 
nose on the wind scent, and he will be quick to catch either the ground 
or wind scent. Always change the location of the lesson, when drag- 
ging the meat and increase the distance as rapidly as possible. 

As soon as he is well under command, get him on rabbits in the 

37 



field, and when he chases one, encourage him to bark. If he is a barker 
or "singer" he will keep at it while chasing. If he fails to bark, train 
him to do so at home by hissing him on at anything around the house 
and he will soon begin to "sing." 

When he starts a rabbit, stand still and he will either chase the 
rabbit to you or hole it. In case he holes it, try and get it out for 
him, to show him that you are doing all you can to help him. If 
he is too fast and drives the rabbit out of the country, hang a chain 
two feet long on him, and it will cut his speed down ; but take the 
chain off when he gets tired. 

If a rabbit is started right off on a dead chase, he will soon hole 
or run out of the country, so train the dog to let the rabbit run slow 
and make circles, and the dog will soon learn to follow and drive the 
game around to you. 

I always teach my beagles to retrieve a rabbit and when they make 
a catch to bring in the dead. This encourages them to hunt for more 
game. I use the same rules as for pointers and setters. 




TRICK DOGS. 



It is not hard to teach small dogs to perform all manner of tricks. 
They are always ready to play and a little spare time now and then is 

38 



all that is needed. Ten minutes, four or five times a day, will be 
enough to teach many amusing tricks and the dog will think it all 
good fun. The younger the dog is, the easier it will be to teach him. 

Take, for instance, a six-months-old puppy. The first thing to 
teach him is to speak when spoken to. Until he does this, keep him 
out of the house. 

Begin by feeding him and always feed him out of the hand. In 
this way he will have to look up when being fed and will learn to 
carry a high head. When feeding him, raise the hand a little with 
each bit fed until he has confidence enough to rise on his hind feet. 
In a few times he will get to jumping for his meat and then, when 
he does that, say "Speak," which he will soon learn to do. As soon 
as he speaks once, give him a bit of meat. Keep this up with him for 
several days and he will soon speak you out of the house. 

Now, he is where he can be trained to be neat in the house. Bring 
him into the part you intend to keep him in. Begin in the morning, 
after he has been fed from the hand. After he has eaten, say to him, 
"Speak," and "Do 3'ou want to go out?" If he don't speak at once, 
walk out and close the door and call him by name and he will soon 
speak. Call him several times while the door is closed, and say to 
him "Speak," and he will soon understand what you want of him. 
Then give him a little walk and on your return to the door ask him 
to speak, which will mean that he wants to go into the house. If 
he don't speak, close the door and leave him out until he does speak, 
but keep calling him by name. When you give him a new lesson take 
time to make it clear to him and remember that anything that is 
worth doing is worth doing well. The dog will do his best to under- 
stand and obey. Be clear in giving the directions always. 

To teach him to sit up : Take him and set him up against the wall 
or in a corner of the room. At first you must hold him up and pet 
him. After several lessons in this way, you will have him so that 
he will not be afraid to sit up alone. Repay him for this by giving 
him a bit of meat, but he must not be overfed while learning tricks. 
Next bring him away from the wall, or corner, and say to him, "Sit 
up," and nine times out of ten he will run and sit up against the wall, 
but let this go. Call him out kindly, and have him sit up away from 
the wall or corner; if he insists on going back, call him out and as- 
sist him as at first. He will soon be able to sit up alone. 

39 



To teach him to jump: Take a small stick from two to three 
inches long, and put it on a couple of blocks, say six inches high, and 
hyve him jump over it. By holding a bit of meat in your hand he 
will jump, but be careful not to have the stick high at first, or he will 
be afraid to try. Encourage him to jump higher and he soon will be 
anxious to jump as high as he can. 

To teach him to lie down or roll over : This is a great thing to 
teach a dog. Take both hands and lay the dog down on his back and 
then roll him from one side to the other. Do this several times and 
after the lesson feed him a bit of meat. Now, say to him, "Roll over,'" 
and he will lie down and try to do it. If he fails, assist him and he 
will soon learn what you want of him. 

To teach him to sit up in a chair: Here is where his jumping 
will come in. Tap on a chair and say to him, "Ji-nnp," and when he 
jumps in the chair, tell him to sit up; if he shows any fear, assist him. 
Give him a bit of meat and he will not mind being so far from the 
floor. Now, put him in a rocking chair and gently rock it. Give him 
a bit of meat and he will soon be able to rock himself. 

To teach a dog to find a hidden article : To do this, a dog must 
be broken to retrieve or carry, and this can be learned by the use 
of the Erb Patent Training Device. After he has been taught to 
retrieve or carry things, roll up a handkerchief with some perfume on 
it, put it down some few feet away and say to the dog, "Go fetch," or 
"Go bring," and when he brings it to you, say "Sit up," and give him 
a bit of meat for this and pet him. Then take the handkerchief and 
hide it ; then go back to where you came from and say to him, "Go 
find it and bring," and he will go in and find it, as the perfume gives 
him the scent. After he finds this a few times, put the handkerchief 
under a can and send him for it. He will scent it and will overturn 
the can and bring the handkerchief to you. Later, teach him to get 
up in a chair and, while you say "Charge," or lie still, step back a 
few feet, having him lie perfectly quiet. Now, hide the handkerchief 
and tell him to go find it. 

To teach him to walk on his hind feet : Say "Sit up," and have a 
bit of meat and show it to him, and coax him forward a little at a 
time, till he makes a step or two towards you. Give him the meat 
and pet him and let him try again. When he has learned this, try to 
have him walk on his front feet. 

40 



To teach him to walk on his front feet : Lay a bit of meat on the 
lloor, three or four feet away, and hold him back from going to get it. 
Take hold of both hind feet and raise him up so that he can walk 
on his front feet and push him gently by his hind feet towards the 
meat. Go slowly, so as not to overbalance him, and he will try to 
help himself for the sake of the meat. As soon as he reaches the meat, 
pet him and let him have it. Increase the distance and say, "Up," 
which he will soon learn. 

To teach him to catch his tail : Tie a piece of red ribbon, not more 
than two or three inches long, on the end of his tail, and lift him 
around by it for a few times; then let him try for himself, and say 
to him, "Catch it," and he will go around like a whirlwind and enjoy 
it. When he will do this, take off the ribbon and say, "Catch your 
tail," and at the word, he will go around till you are tired of him 
and he will think it great fun. 

To teach him to walk a rope or pole : Take a board a foot wide, 
and place it between two chairs, so that it is about three feet from 
the floor ; be sure that it is firm, and in no danger of slipping off of 
the chairs. Lift him onto the board and walk back and forth with 
him until he is not afraid; then put him down and tell him to jump 
up on the chair, and show him a bit of meat. Lay it on the board 
where he can see it, and tell him to go and get it. He will be so 
anxious for the meat that he will walk out on the board and he can 
soon be coaxed over it easily. When he is perfectly at ease on the 
board, take one a little narrower and keep reducing the width until 
he can walk on one an inch wide. 

Now, you are ready for the rope or pole. When he can walk the 
rope easily, raise the rope a little at a time, until it is as high as you 
want it from the floor, and if it is changed gradually, he will not seem 
to mind the increased distance from the floor. 

If it is any distance from the floor, build a little runway of boards, 
with little strips across them for him to walk up and down on. 

To show what kindness will do. in training animals, the picture 
of a retrieving wolf is here given. The wolf is a wild animal and is 
looked upon as dangerous. The cause of this is hunger and he will 
fight for something to eat every time. On the other hand, if treated 
kindly, as you would treat an}- other animal, the wolf can be taught 
to do almost anything— -to retrieve, pull a sleigh, or small wagon, or 

41 



many of the tricks a dog can do. But this can only be done by kind 
treatment, plenty of petting and by feeding him well. 

There are dogs and cats, too, that have mean dispositions, and are 
quarrelsome and always ready to fight. They will hold spite and call 
names as surely as human beings. A dog's memory is remarkable. 
He can be trained to do almost anything ; to carry valuables, run er- 
rands and guard property, while his devotion to his master and his 
fidelity make him worthy of the title of "Friend of man." Be good to 
your dog and he will repay you. 

Don't be cruel in training him. Never put a spiked collar on him 
nor step on his toes; do not pinch his ears, or you will make him 
sore ; don't tie him to a tree and leave him. 

Under my system all this is useless, and a dog can be trained in 
the parlor if you wish, or in the kennel with the other dogs. The 
earlier you commence on a young dog the better, and the easier it will 
be to train him. 




RETRIEVING WOLF. 

42 



GAME PROTECTION. 

Had the game laws that are being made now been made fifteen 
years ago there would not be the scarcity of game that is now found 
in most states. Some of the state laws are fine, but in the greater 
number of them there is no adequate protection afforded to the game, 
and the consequence is that it is killed for market and shipped from 
state to state, and whole localities are thus cleared of game in a few 
seasons. 

Spring shooting should be stopped, and not a gun fired until after 
the hatching season is over and the young birds large enough to take 
care of themselves in the field. 

Thousands of birds die each year, because parent birds are killed 
or maimed, and the laws cannot be made too stringent in this respect. 

So long as one man is at liberty to shoot and destroy a fine flock 
of birds, others will feel that they, too, might as well have the game 
as he, and it is hard on the man who wants game protection to see 
his neighbor come home with a big bag, while he has kept the law and 
Ftayed at home. 




A POT HUNTER. 

]\Iarket hunters will shoot any bird, young or old, and most of 
the woodcocks put on the market are nothing but quail, doves, or even 
blackbirds. 

Quail cannot survive a severe winter, but die of exposure and star- 
vation. 7"his could be avoided by providing grain for them and in- 

43 



ducing the farmers to feed them. A few dozen birds purchased, if 
needful, by private subscription, and turned loose in each county, 
would keep the state well stocked with game. 

In the same way the migratory birds are slaughtered, while too 
young to take care of themselves, and all true sportsmen will help 
in every way the enforcement of the laws that will protect the game 
and at the same time increase the pleasure and excitement of hunting. 

HINTS ON SHOOTING. 

There are many things to learn in order to become a good shot. 
First of all, be sure to get a good gun and have it fitted to you by 
the dealer. Have the drop and stock best suited to you ; don't go 
according to what some one else uses. The best average drop of stock 
is two and three quarters inches; length of stock fourteen inches from 
front trigger pull. This will make a good fit with tight clothes on; 
with loose clothes use a rubber heel. The heel may also be used to 
make the stock a little longer if necessary. Nine men out of ten 
shoot off the muscle of the arm, either because the gun does not fit, 
the load is too heavy, or their clothes are too heavy or tight. 

A twelve gauge gun of about eight pounds weight is the best for 
field shooting. Always use smokeless powder and use chilled shot 
and a two and three-quarters inch shell. 

Let the right barrel be a modified choke that will make a good 
pattern at thirty yards, and have the left barrel full choke. This will 
be good for both field and trap. A choke bore gun will make a pat- 
tern of eighteen inches to a three-foot circle from twenty-five to forty- 
five yards. The finer, the shot the larger the circle. 

Never shoot a heavy load that kicks and makes the arm sore. 

If the gun kicks, it is either because there is too much powder in the 
load, or because the gun is not held properly, and so instead of hold- 
ing the gun firmly against the shoulder, the hunter is "shooting off 
the muscle." This is much more common than is imagined, as few 
who suffer with a sore arm after a days hunt care to confess that they 
did not know how to hold their guns correctly, but it is nevertheless true 
that many a hunter finds his right arm tender for days after a day's 
shooting. 

Often the stock of the gun is too long, and if there is any tendency 

44 



on the part of the gun to kick, a dealer in guns should at once be con- 
sulted and the fault located. 

For target shooting by amateurs, the best load is No. 7 to No. 'jV-i 
.shot with one and a quarter ounces of shot. Always load smokeless 
powder by grains. There are many kinds of powder loads and they 
>vili run from 2^4 to 38 grains. 

For a pigeon load, use No. 6 to No. 7 shot, as the amateur will not 
shoot as quickly as an expert, and the larger shot will give a better 
killing chance than the finer shot, at a long distance. Use the same 
judgment about the powder as for the above. 




TAKING A GUN APART. 



Have your dealer show you how to take your gun apart and put 
it together ; how to let the hammers down and how to cock it. I 
have been out hunting with many an amateur who did not know how 
to put his own gun together. 

Learn how to clean and oil your gun and always carry some good 
gun oil and a gun rod with you when going hunting. 

Always be careful of and with your gun. Do not go around a field 
with a loaded gun. Never get over a fence with the loads in your 
gun, nor carry it across your arm when doing so. When in the field 
or in company, keep your gun pointed well up to the sky while 
walking. 

To have success in the field with game, take plenty of time and 
move your gun along with the bird and pull as you move. Don't stop 
the gun or you will miss, as the bird keeps moving and so must you. 

Don't get in a hurry while shooting such birds as quail, snipe, 
woodcock and young chickens, as nine out of ten are killed under 
twenty yards. Keep a level head, use common sense and move the 
gun, then with a good retriever you will be sure of a fine day's sport. 

If you shoot right handed, extend the left hand well forward on 

45 



the gun barrel ; in case you are left handed, reverse, but in eithe«- 
case, grip the gun tightly with your hand, so that it will not move 
easily. 

To be a good shot, always follow what you shoot, be it to the 
right or left, up or down. If you are not careful you will stop your 
gun unconsciously, and then wonder why you did not kill your bird, 
while the very fact that you did not kill it is proof that you stopped 
your gun. Move your gun with the bird and you will make a dead 
shot every time. 

For a bird flying straight away, cover full. 

For birds of any kind that rise as they fly, raise at the same time 
you pull. 

• For birds flying low, follow low, and keep the gun moving as you 
pull. 

In all these cases hold the gun about six inches ahead of the bird 
and pull while moving the gun, so that the bird will fly into your load. 

In shooting, while sitting, always hold low on the bird, sj y a 
foot and a half. Many may think that this is holding too low on a 
bird, but the success of the shot is proof of its value. 

For a person who has had no experience, it will save time and 
money to get a target trap to practice with before wasting powder in 




STYLE OF HOLDING GUN TWENTY YEARS AGO. 
46 



the field. Set it firmly and stand close to it to * iin with, moving 
back gradually as you become able to hit the gets. Keep your 
gun moving with the target, and aim low, as the gun will lift at the 
moment of shooting. Twenty years ago the trap shooter held his 
gun below the elbow until the bird was on the wing. Some wonder- 
ful scores were made at this stj^e of shooting. 




STYLE OF HOLDING GUN AT PRESENT TIME. 



At the present day he holds his gun to his shoulder, ready for 
the "bird" to be thrown from the trap. 

If you have no knowledge at all of firearms, begin your practice 
with a rifle, size .22, which will be cheaper and easier to learn with. If 
you are near the water, take a board two feet long and six inches wide, 
and put a tin can in the center of it. Tie a rope thirty or forty feet 
long to the board and float the board on the water. Have some one 
draw it along the surface slowly while you stand some twenty or thirty 
feet away, and try to follow the object with your gun. When you 
think you can follow, shoot at the can ; even if you miss, the water 
will tell you just where you shot, and so you can make your allow- 
ance and see how fast you will have to move your gun to hit the can. 

When you can hit every time, have a can tossed up in the air six 
or eight feet at first and try to hit it. Have the can thrown up easily 

47 



and steadily and n 't by jerks, and aim low, but keep the gun moving. 

If you are not 3ar any water, tie a can to a long string and have 
it pulled along th.i ground, slowly at first, then faster and faster as 
you improve. Shoot at it sidewise, crosswise and every way you can 
think of to give you practice and accustom you to all kinds of shoot- 
ing. 

If you have little time for field work or are so situated that you 
have no opportunity to practice out of doors, try shooting on roller 
skates. This will try your nerve and teach you to have self-possession 




SHOOTING OFF ROLLER SKATES. 

48 




SHOOTING WHILE SEATED. 

and poise. If you have a long hall in your house or a good cellar, you 
can have all the practice you want at very little trouble or expense. 

By using a .22 rifle, with shot shells, you can practice anywhere 
in the house with perfect safety to the walls. The shell is cheap and 
scatters so much that it does no damage. 

By hanging a piece of heavy canvas, ten feet square, from a couple 
of screw eyes in the ceiling, two or three feet from the wall, so that 
the canvas will not swing back and hit the wall and letting it swing 
freely from the bottom, you can shoot thousands of shot cartridges 



49 




TEACHING A BOY TO SHOOT. 



50 



at it and not pierce it. The shot will roll off the loose canvas and fall 
harmlessly on the floor. 

Pin small paper targets on the canvas and you will have as fine a 
target as you want. But be careful not to hang the canvas near a 
door or window, unless it is kept locked from your side, and so avoid 
accidents. 

Stand fifteen or twenty feet away from the target, increasing the 
distance as much as possible as you grow proficient. When you can 
hit the bits of paper, hang a small can, a rubber ball, bits of coal, 
anything that can be hit, on a string, and let this swing from another 
screw eye in the ceiling, about three feet in front of the loose canvas. 
Now, you have a fine swinging target and one h:ird to hit. 

Practice all kiiids of fancy 'shots, over the head, crosswise, back 
to object with gun on shoulder and using a mirror, while skating 
back and forth, and many ethers. 

If children were trained from an early age to handle and care for 
firearms, there would be fewer accidents. It is ignorance and the 
novelty of it that makes people look in a gun "to see if it is loaded." 
If they were used to handling one they would never do such a senst- 
Icss thing. 

Begin to teach a child when he is seven years old. Give him a 
small air gun and show him how to hold and sight it and impress 
upon him that he cannot have it if he is at all careless with it. 
Never let him practice alone until he is old enough to have good judg- 
ment and discretion. Never let him play with it. Teach him that it 
is not a plaything, Init a weapon to be proud of if he can handle it 
well. 

Teach him to stand straight and shoot with both eyes open, from the 
first. ]Make him care for his own gun and keep it clean and well 
oiled. 

It is well to have the gun a little heavy at the start so that it will 
not kick and frighten him, as nothing spoils one's shooting like ner- 
vousness. 

Never leave the load in the gun, and never, never let it be pointed 
at any one. 

Give the child a simple target to begin with and let him stand not 
more than ten feet away so that he will hit it frequently; this will 
encourage him to try and hit every time. 

51 




A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD HUNTER. 



52 



As he advances in his work, give him swinging objects to practice 
on, cans tied on the end of a long fish pole and swung gently back 
and forth, bits of coal thrown in the air, and on a straight line about 
ten feet above the ground. This will give him fine practice for field 

shooting. 





REVOLVER SHOOTING. 

Revolver shooting is not hard to learn. 

Be sure to get a revolver that fits your hand and that does not pull 
too hard, or it will cause you to shoot high. Either load your own 
shells or have them loaded for you, so as to avoid as much as possible 
the recoil of your revolver. Too heavy a load will make the best gun 
"bounce." 

Practice holding the revolver in either hand, using the left more than 
the right. In this way you will be able to have a decided advantage 
over one able to use but one hand, and it will accustom you to quick 
and accurate work. 

Always stand erect and steady and keep both eyes open. 

The two illustrations represent the positions for holding the revolver 
before and at the moment of firing. Draw the revolver up on a line 
with the eye, with the arm moving easily but firmly, level the revolver 
with a little drop to the center and you will make a true shot. 



53 




SPANIEL. 



There are many different breeds of dogs that are used as pets or 
watchdogs. 

The spaniels, water, cocker and others are cheerful, friendly and 
obedient, good watchdogs and can be trained to make good retrievers 
by my system of training. They can also be taught to do all manner 
of tricks. • 

The terriers, large and small, can be easily trained, but it must be 
by kindness alone. Whip a terrier but once, and he will never forgive 
nor forget it. 

The collie is the farmer's dog par excellence, watchful, faithful, 
very intelligent and gentle as a kitten. 

It is natural for him to protect stock and he will soon learn to count 
whatever is committed to his care. He can be depended upon to "Go 
get c(nvs" and bring them home. 

Greyhounds are good coursing dogs. They are very swift and will 
pick up a jack rabbit on a dead run. They hunt by sight, but can be 
trained to retrieve by shooting rabbits in heavy cover and sending them 
in to bring them to you, and when so trained they prove to have good 
r.oses. 

54 



Mastiffs and great danes are smooth coated dogs, large and pow- 
erful. 

The St. Bernard is shaggy, but all three resemble one another in 
many respects. They are naturally pleasant and peaceable and arc 
fine watchdogs. 

They can be trained to be very savage, but this should be done by 
strangers rather than by members of the family. 

Put the dog to be trained in a shed and let the strange boy or boys 
pound on the walls with sticks or stones and call to him and later let 
them enter the shed and poke their sticks at him. 

This will make the most gentle animal furious, and he will soon 
lunge at his tormentors, growl and show his teeth. Be very sure to have 
both chain and staple very secure and strong, as the dog would not 
hesitate to spring at his tormentors. 

No tramp or robber will ever trouble the family where such a dog 
lives. 

Feed these dogs cooked meats and many raw eggs, to prevent indi- 
gestion. Avoid corn meal, much bread and gravy and food with flour 
in it, as they do not exercise enough to eat such heating foods. 

All of these breeds can be taught to do all manner of tricks and 
to retrieve by following my instructions. 



55 



CATS. 

Cats are great pets in many homes. This is right, for what is nicer 
than a well behaved, affectionate cat? 

They can be trained to do all manner of tricks by following the same 
rules I have given for training trick dogs, and many pleasant hours 
can be so spent in teaching them. 

If I ever go into the show business, I will have about one hundred 
cats of different breeds and teach them to do some wonderful tricks. 




CATS. 



To keep a cat sound and healthy, feed it milk and raw eggs, and 
this will also make a good mouser of it, as it will have to hunt for 
whatever meat it wants. 

Use an Erb collar on it, as you would on a dog and it will neither 
leave home nor fight, nor will it have any unnecessary sickness from the 
sweating of a dirty collar. 

Cats fight by biting and scratching, and a cat will not risk a second 
encounter with a cat protected by an Erb collar. 

56 




^^} -^'^^t^^-^ 



t 

--=^ 



SQUIRRELS. 

Almost every one who has ever used a gun has gone out sometime 
in his life after squirrels. If the hunter goes out in June he will find 
the young fellows, but in the fall he will get fully grown ones, and 
have little trouble in finding them. All he will have to do will be to 
hunt for nut trees, hickory especially, and the squirrels will surely be 
there getting their winter supply of nuts and they will get the best ones 
too every time. They can be found near berry patches as well, for they 
are great berry eaters. 

The best time to kill the squirrels is early in the morning or late 
in the evening. Then they are doing their feeding. Through the 
middle of the day they stretch themselves out on a broad limb of a 
tree and go to sleep. Many a squirrel is killed while asleep, being 
found by the sun shining on his tail or the wind blowing it back and 
forth. 

A good squirrel dog is a great dog to have. He can trail the squirrel 
through the woods and to the tree he has gone up, and if properly 
broken, will bark for you to come as a signal that he has a squirrel 



57 



treed. He will keep barking or howling and so attract the squirrel's 
attention and give you a chance to approach the tree without the 
squirrel seeing you. Go as slowly as you can walk and keep about 
ten to twenty feet away, making very little noise. You will soon see 
the squirrel by watching the limbs move and so locate him ; he will 
move from side to side and will be easy to hit. 

To teach a dog to be a good squirrel dog, take him out about the 
first of May, while the squirrels are small, as then, you will find them 
playing about little trees or saplings, that a little boy can climb up and 
bend over. On these they learn to jump and climb before they under- 
take to be active on large trees. When you have found a squirrel, move 
along with your dog and show him where the squirrel is. The best 
thing to do is to climb the tree and shake the squirrel off; this is easy 
to do as the tree will be small. When he falls on the ground he will 
get up and run to another tree and your dog at first will only bark and 
not offer to touch the squirrel. After a few lessons in this way he will 
go out by himself and hunt in heavy cover and open woods and just 
as soon as he strikes a scent he wnll bark for you to come to him, as he 
will have the squirrel treed. With a good dog you will be able to get 
squirrels whenever you go out hunting. Without a dog they are hard 
to get. You can take almost any kind of a dog and make a good 
squirrel dog out of him if you teach him in this way. 

I always have my dogs retrieve them the same as they do birds or 
rabbits, as they think it more sport to hunt them if they know they will 
get the game in their mouths, as this is their pride and glory. 



58 




RABBITS. 

Rabbits can be found almost anywhere in the country and require 
no especial skill to kill. A good rabbit dog will keep one busy, and 
the beagle is easily the prime favorite for rabbit hunting. 

When a rabbit is started, he will dodge from one side to the other, 
and if you stop your gun off he will go. Always shoot low on a rabbit 
as on a bird. 

It is good practice to let a few shots escape you by simply holding 
on the rabbit without shooting and so test your ability to follow. 

Many will boast of a long shot, when if they had stepped the dis- 
tance it would surprise them to see how close they were to the rabbit. 

DUCKS AND GEESE. 

Ducks and geese are so wary that a great deal of judgment is re- 
quired to shoot them. Open shooting is impossible, and they can only 
be shot from blinds and over decoys. Blinds either on land or water, 
are built in various fashions, absolute concealment being the chief re- 
quirement. 

The best time to shoot them is when they are flying to and from 
their feeding grounds. 



59 



urmi 




CHESAPEAKE RETRIEVING A DEAD DUCK. 



CO 




DUCK. 



A good retriever is necessary to get the dead or wounded birds, and 
as the birds will weigh from two and a half to three pounds, a dog with 
a large and strong mouth is needed to be able to bring a bird without 
dragging it on the ground. 

Either a Chesapeake Bay dog or a water spaniel should be used, 
as the dog will be in and out of the w^ater constantly. 



61 




BRANT. 



The Chesapeake is the better dog, for he has a large mouth, is 
strong, has a heavy coat, is at home in the water, can push through 
drift, slough grass or deep mud and does not care how cold the water is. 

For large ducks use No. 4 to No. 6 shot, for teal and the small ducks 
use No. 7 to No. 8, for goose and brant from No. 2 to No. 3. In all of 
these use not less than an ounce and a quarter of shot. 



62 




JACK SNIPE. 

There is much excitement in snipe shooting. 
' Jack snipe live in the open prairie swamp lands, and as there is 
little cover, the dog has no chance to point them. They do not lie 
close like the quail or woodcock, and have to be hunted with much 
judgment and discretion. 

Hunt them down wind and so get the advantage of a close quarter- 
ing shot, as they rise against the wind; then after a flight of twenty- 
five yards, they turn and go with the wind. 

on 



They live in wet places and bore for worms the same as the wood- 
cock do. 

Don't let your dog hunt, but stay "Heel" until ordered to "Go fetch 
dead." When you kill, stand still and after loading your gun, send 
your dog to retrieve the dead bird. There will be birds scattered about 
tliat may rise and give you several shots, that would be flushed wild 
should you follow the dog for your first bird. 

Snipe will not move as wildly for a dog as they do when a man 
flushes them, and a bird will often let a dog pass without moving, 
and so give you a chance to flush him after the dog has gone on to 
retrieve his dead bird. 

The best load for snipe is No. 9 shot. 

GOLDEN PLOVER. 

Golden plover travel in large flocks and follow the jack snipe on 
their northern flight. They live on the prairie, in plowed fields and 
burnt ground. 

They are of a golden color with black breasts. 

They feed early in the morning and late in the afternoon, taking 
flight about ten in the morning to the watering places and returning 
about four in the afternoon. 

Work your dog as for snipe, as when you shoot, it is fiock shooting 
and you are liable to knock down eight or ten of them. The minute 
the wounded birds strike the ground they will run fast and far, scat- 
tering in every direction. 

Here is where a good retriever is necessary, as he will overtake 
each bird and bring it to you. Keep sending him out as fast as he 
brings one in, until he cannot find any more. 

The flock will swing round in a circle after being shot at to look for 
the crippled birds, so stand still and wait and you will get a second 
chance at them. 

The best load for plover is No. 9 shot. 

QUAIL. 

Quails are known and hunted in all parts of the world. They are 
very game and will test the skill of any dog. 

They are found in all kinds of cover, preferring, however, the edges 
of fences and brush and the beds of dried ponds. 

64 



\ 




QUAIL. 

Noise has little effect on them, and they will often lie so close that 
yon can almost kick them up. 

Ninety-nine men out of a hundred do not want a dog that ranges 
more than a hundred yards, but quarters close and hunts in the most 
promising places. 

In the morning and evening the liirds will work out to the center 



65 



of corn fields and stubble, and then will hunt low places to settle on 
imtil the next feeding time. 

Never order the- dog to run in and flush the flock, but walk in and 
flush it yourself and then they will not be so wild. 

The best load for quail is No. 9 shot. 




Pheasants, or partridges, as they are commonly called, live in the 
thickest of the woods, so that it is hard to hunt or get them v/ithout 



66 



a good dog. They live on wild berries and wild grapes and are among 
the choicest of table birds. 

They lie very close in heavy cover and where a dog cannot hunt fast 
and are very hard to shoot on the wing, as they continually dodge 
among the trees. 

In hunting them, have your dog go slow and keep close to you. He 
will work best on ground scent. Teach him to hold his point and let 
you select your location before j'ou order him to flush. 

Train him to bark when the bird rises, and the curiosity of the 
bird will prove its destruction. Instead of trying to escape, the bird 
will settle on an adjacent tree to find the meaning of the strange noise, 
and if there is danger of missing a wing shot, the bird can be shot 
sitting. 

After the bird is killed, he is very hard to find, as in color he re- 
sembles the leaves in the fall, and a good retriever is necessary if the 
birds are to be found. 

To teach a dog to bark, tie a piece of red cloth on a long string and 
then throw it over a limb of a tree in such a manner that it can be 
jerked up and down. As it flutters among the leaves hiss the dog on 
to bark, and teach him to bark every time it moves. 

The best load for pheasants is No. 9 shot. 




WOODCOCK. 



The woodcock is one of the hardest game birds to hunt. He weighs 
from four to six and a half ounces, is of a golden color, with a large 
head and an ear that you could stick a lead pencil into. He is a sharp 
fellow, knows when you are after him, and is very tricky. He lives in 
timber swamps and about springy places the year around. 

When in seaich of food the woodcock will go along in wet places 
and turn the right side of his head to the ground and listen to any 
noise which he may hear from under the surface of the ground. When 
he locates it he turns his head to the side again to make sure, and 
tlien puts the point of his two and a half inch bill on the ground and 
works it, making a sound like boring a hole in a board. When he gets 
started, he holds his bill in the ground, drawing his body close, then 
flutters his wings, which helps him to drive his bill down. He stands 
still a minute, and then proceeds to pull out a worm; this is the com- 
mon fish worm and is his main food. 

A good way to hunt w^oodcock is to hang a couple of bells on your 



dog's neck and send him in after the birds ; as long as you hear the 
bells you will know he has found nothing, but when the bells stop, be 
sure the dog is on the point. Woodcock shooting is all snap, that is, 
hit or miss shooting, and nine times out of ten you cannot tell whether 
you have hit or not, the cover is so thick. 

Here is where a nice retriever comes handy, to find the dead birds 
and retrieve them from all kinds of brush, grass and heavy cover, and 
bring them to you. When you shoot, order your dog to "Go hunt 
dead"; if you killed, he will bring it sure. If you don't kill, just keep 
a sharp lookout behind you and you will not fail to see the same bird 
again, as one of his pet tricks is to double back to the place he was in 
when shot at. This deceives the amateur, for few would think of 
looking for him in the same place the second time, but the experienced 
woodcock hunter is aware of the bird's tricks and will wait and try for 
him again. 

The best load for woodcock is No. 9 or No. 10 shot. 




PRAIRIE CHICKEN. 

The prairie chicken is a bird that has been hunted until in many 
states it is nearly exterminated. While young the birds are very easy 
to kill, as they don't seem to have much sense of danger. They are 
found in the short stubble or grass and can be found very easily, as 
their scent is so strong that a dog can readily scent them. When they 
get up after being shot at, they don't fly far and if you don't find them. 



69 



go away and wait awhile and they will soon come back and hunt their 
mother. If you have killed her, it is a sure thing you will get the 
whole flock, as they haven't sense enough to take care of themselves. 
They will whistle for one another when lost, and I have killed many 
a one by calling it up to me while lying down in the grass. 

During this time, that is, from August i to October i, you can 
kick them up and with a good dog to point, have all open shooting. 

But after November i, look out. The tables are lurned ard they 
will be found in the corn and will not lay for the dog very well. They 
v/ill fly a mile at a time and none but the expert hunter can hope to 
have any luck in killing them. They go in large flocks and have to be 
hunted on the quiet and always down wind. When two men are hunt- 
ing, they must hunt by signs with the hands to go either to the right 
or left, for speak one loud word and goodby hunter. With the wind 
and a little sunshine they can be killed, but a good dog is needed that 
is well trained and under good command to "stay heel," and not go 
out till ordered to get the dead and retrieve it. 

For pheasant, woodcock, quail, snipe and young prairie chickens use 
No. 9 shot, if the shooting is in the thick brush or corn, as it must be 
quick shooting in the close cover and the small shot will make a big 
circle and will not tear the birds to pieces as the larger shot under 
these conditions would. In the open, where there will be more time 
for a shot and consequently a longer range, use No. 7 or No. 8. 



70 




WILD TURKEYS. 

A flock of wild turkeys is a great sight. They are easy birds to trap 
and kill. They can be baited into any trap with corn, and can be shot 
at night on their roosts. They can be called with a turkey caller right 
to the hunter, and if they get into a trap, have not sense enough to get 
out. 

The best load for turkeys is No. 2 to No. 3 shot. 

In going out for turkeys before the snow is on the ground, a good 
dog will stand a turkey the same as he will a quail and will trail him 
for miles. When the dog goes slowly and cautiously and makes fre- 
quent points, it shows that the turkeys are close. Then go very 
quietly and avoid all dry twigs, for a turkey seems to know what a 
gun is. 

When he discovers you, he will start off cackling to warn the rest of 
the flock. 



71 




POINT WORK. 



If your dog is trained to obey the motions of the hand, he will 
scatter the flock in all directions and make them light on the trees by 
barking at them. i ?! ! \ 

When the snow is on the ground, track them, and the length of the 
tracks will determine whether the birds are going fast or slow. If 
slow, the tracks will be from six inches to a foot apart, showing that 
the birds are loafing or feeding. 

But when the tracks are from eighteen to thirty inches apart it is 
a sign that the birds are frightened or are on a long tramp from one 
locality to another. In this case do not follow the tracks, but circle 
out a quarter to a half a mile and cross their tracks and then make 
another circle according to the direction in which they are then going. 
By confusing them in this way they will lessen their speed and be easily 
overtaken. When close to them, send the dog, and he will scatter them 
by barking; then call them to you l:)y using a turkey caller and they will 
be readily killed. 




GROUP OF GAME BIRDS. 



This group of birds represents pheasants, quail, prairie chickens and 
grouse, all of which are well known in the middle and western states, 
and also in most of the eastern states. 



A FEW TRAINING DEVICE TESTIMONIALS. 

(American Field, Chicago, III., Oct. 15, 1903.) 
Fred Erb, Jr., has covered a lot of territory this fall giving exhibi- 
tions* of how to train a dog to retrieve from land and water with the 
use of his devices, which are very simple, and, in the hands of a humane 
person, effective. Kindness toward dumb animals, which cannot under- 
stand the meaning of words, is the first requisite in educating them. A 
patient, kindly disposed person can teach a dog to do' most anything, 
where a person of opposite temperament would fail. 



Grass Valley, Dec. 8, 1903. 
Mr. Erb, Jr. 

Some time ago I got one of your training devices, and I tell you 
it is all O. K. I broke three dogs, and as soon as I get some more 
broke I will send you a photo of some of them ; they are all pointers. 

I read in the American Field that you taught shooting. Do you 
have a book on shooting, or does a man have to come where you are? 
If you could give instructions on shooting, I would like to know your 
price by mail. Or what is a good book to learn from? Now, I take 
you as a true friend. I am just beginning to shoot a little; but it 
doesn't take me long to get a dog to retrieve. That is the best of all 
things I ever heard of. 

Whatever instructions you give me I am willing to pay for. Tell 
me, if you can, how to make a dog drop to shot-wing. I want your 
advice and nobody else's, as I think you are the king of them all, on 
dog work especially. 

Now write and tell me immediately, as I want to know at the ear- 
liest date. I remain. Yours truly, 

Peter Wetteran. 
(Box 752.) Grass Valley, Nevada Co., California. 

74 



April 2, 1903. 
Mr. Fred Erb, Jr., LaFayettc, hid. 

My Dear Fred :— Now that our show is over I feel as though we 
should not let the opportunity go by of offering you, in behalf of the 
Bench Show Committee of the Chicago Kennel Club, our sincere thanks 
for the pleasure had in witnessing the exhibitions which you gave us 
at our Dog Show on March 25, 26, 27, 28, at the First Regiment Arm- 
ory, i6th street and Michigan avenue, Chicago. 

The work you do is certainly very interesting and demonstrates 
what can be done by kindness with a dog. The spectators at our show 
were very much pleased with your exhibition, and each and all compli- 
mented us on having had the opportunity of seeing same. 

We sincerely trust that you will be successful in working up a nice 
business in that line, for you certainly are deserving of it. At any time 
we can in any way assist you we will be very glad indeed to do it. 

Thanking you again for your kindness and renewal of old friendship 
between the writer and yourself, I beg to remain. 

Yours very truly, 

H. J. Cassady. 
Sec'y Chicago Kennel Club. 

{The Enquirer, Cincinnati, O., Nov. 4, 1S98 at the Cincinnati Club 

Grounds.) 
One of the features of the day's sport was the work of the three 
retrieving dogs— Deuce, Jack and Pen. The dogs are wonders, and 
their work was applauded as much as that of the shooters. 

(From the Sportsman, St. Louis, Mo., March 7, I903-) 
Fred Erb, Jr., came to St. Louis last Saturday for the purpose of 
giving an exhibition at the Sportsman office of his method of making 
dogs retrieve, that is, bring game in after same is killed, or in fact, 
fetch anything that a dog can pick up and carry. 

Mr. Erb at one time was well known in trap shooting circles in St. 
Louis. Though he gave up the shooting game some twenty years ago, 
there are yet many of the older shooters who shot with him livnig 
here, and they came to see him and renew their old acquaintance ; same 
time were much interested in what he had to show them in the way 
of a device for training dogs. 

75 



The club room of the Sportsman was filled to overflowing, and as 
parties came at different times of the day, there were several exhibi- 
tions given during the day. Mr. Erb had two dogs, one partly 
trained and the other just being initiated. 

He explained that he had trained over i,6oo dogs and had never 
spoiled one, as he does not use torturing methods and cow the dog. 
He starts in by getting acquainted with the dog and gaining his con- 
fidence, then continues by being kind all through his succeeding les- 
sons. Over a hundred people, including some ladies, called during the 
day. All marveled at the control he had over the dogs, one being a 
ten months pointer which picked up a dead bird nicely, being his first 
effort. During the past seventeen years Mr. Erb has lived at LaFay- 
ette, Ind., where he has confined himself to breaking shooting dogs. 
So successful have been his methods that one of the best known game 
shots, and men of leisure, in the state of Wisconsin, offered him $500 
for his system of training. This Mr. Erb refused, and though said 
party was a visitor at Mr. Erb's home, he never caught on, as the train- 
ing was done under cover. 

Since Mr. Erb has patented his devices he has sold this gentlemen 
a set and now he says he would not be without same for $1,000 as he 
will hereafter train his own dogs. Mr. Erb will willingly give these 
exhibitions at points not too remote from his home, and when once 
understood every dog owner will readily see that it will be a pleasure 
to raise and train his own dog. Mr. Erb has attended many large 
tournaments and the way his dogs brought in the dead and wounded 
birds was favorably commented upon by agents of the Humane Society. 
These devices are advertised in our business columns. 

(American Field, Feb. 7, 1903, Chicago, III.) 
An exhibition of teaching a dog to retrieve was given in the Amer- 
ican Field's club room last week by Fred Erb, of LaFayette, Ind., by 
the use of his devices advertised in our business columns, wherein he 
challenges anyone to equal his method to train a dog to retrieve from 
land or water. Kindness is the first requisite. Mr. Erb had two dogs, 
one fully trained, the other green. He did not use force. He had 
four simple devices — that completed his set — and the dogs took kindly 
to his training. He first made the dog understand that his command 
must be obeyed by adjusting a slight choke device; then he produced 



a cord-wound stick, mounted on crosstrees, and after a few attempts 
the dog picked it up and brought it to him ; then he threw a small 
filled sack to a distance, and the dog soon understood that it was 
to be retrieved; then he produced a dead pigeon — the fourth article — 
threw it a distance, and the dog retrieved it nicely. The untrained 
dog was tractable in a short time. A dozen sportsmen were in the 
office at the time and all marveled at the quickness of perception of the 
dogs of the duties required of them. Mr. Erb's dogs have been seen at 
many trap shoots, and it has been the subject of comment how perfectly 
the dogs were trained to retrieve. The training in each instance was 
accomplished by the use of the four devices advertised in our business 
columns. Mr. Erb stands ready to give an exhibition within any reas- 
onable distance of his home of how to train a dog to retrieve, if a num- 
ber of sportsmen will assemble to witness the work. 

{American Field, Nov. 14, 1903, Chicago, III.) 
I am a regular subscriber to the American Field and I consider it 
the best paper of its kind I ever saw. I am a great lover of the gun 
and dog, but at one time I thought I should never learn to shoot at 
the trap or in the field, nor did I think I could ever train a dog, but 
I am now pleased to say that I am on the right road to do both. About 
two months ago I met Fred Erb, of this city, and I employed him to 
teach me how to shoot. His instructions were so plain and simple that 
I "caught on" very quickly, and am now shooting both in the field and 
at the trap and doing pretty good work. I also own four dogs, two 
old ones and two puppies, which I am training under Mr. Erb's in- 
structions, and I am meeting with very good success. If a young man 
ha? a natural love for gun and dog and wants to become a shooter he 
can do so v/ithout spending four or five years learning. First, let him 
subscribe for the American Field and read it every week from the 
front to the back page ; then get some one who is competent to teach 
him how to handle a gun and where to hold on a bird in order to kill 
it and he will be surprised to see how easy it is to become a very good 
shot. B. W. Price. 

LaFayette, Ind. 




FRED. ERB, JR., WINNER OF AMERICAN FIELD CUP. 



78 



SOME OF THE AUTHOR'S FAMOUS SCORES. 



ERB-BOGARDUS. 
(American Field, March 20, 1880.) 

This match, which was for a purse of $200, was shot at St. Joseph, 
Mo., Thursday, March 11, 1880. The conditions of the match were: 
To shoot at 100 pigeons each, one and one-quarter ounce of shot, 
Hurliiigliam rules, Erb to stand at twenty-eight and Bogardus at thirty 
yards. Bogardus used a twelve-gauge, ten-pound choke bore gun, by 
Scott & Son, five drams orange lightning No. 7 powder. No. 9 shot 
in his fir'^t and No. 7 shot in his second barrel. Erb used a gun of 
similar weight, made by James Purdey & Sons. His shells were loaded 
v.ith four and one-half drams Hazard powder (sea-shooting, ducking 
size), and Chicago No. six (6) shot in both his first and second barrel. 
That Mr. Erb, v/ho is only nineteen years old, should have beaten the 
acknowledged champion by ten birds will no doubt be a surprise to 
many. 

The following is the official score of the match : 

Captain A. H. Bogardus. Thirty yards : — 

11011 11111 1011111101 11111 11111 

11101 11111 1111011001 10110 01011 

10101 11111 0111111111 00111 11111 

11101 1111 1—83. 

Fred Erb, Jr. Twenty-eight yards: — 

11111 11111 1110101111 11011 11111 

11111 11111 1011111111 11111 11111 

01110 11111 1111111011 11111 11111 

11111 1111 1—93. 

Weather, cold and windy; the wind blowing from the right to the 
left across the traps. Time of shoot, three hours, five minutes. 
Paul Francke, referee. B. F, Buzard, scorer. 

79 



ERB-MITCHELL. 

(American Field, June 4, 188 1.) 

St. Louis, Mo. 
Editor Chicago Field. 

Saturday, May 28, the match between Fred Erb, Jr., of St. Joseph, 
Mo., and Capt. W. T. Mitchell, of Richmond, Va., was shot at the 
Compton Park Base Ball Grounds, St. Louis, Mo. The stakes were 
$200, and the match was at 100 wild pigeons, five ground traps, five 
yards apart, thirty yards rise, use of both barrels, English rules. 

Captain West acted as judge for Captain Mitchell, Mr. G. Hass- 
further in a similar capacity for Mr. Erb, and Mr. Babcock filled the 
position of referee. The birds were, contrary to anticipation, a very 
tame lot, and made but feeble efforts at flying. 

At the conclusion of the first half hundred birds the contestants 
were at evens, having killed forty-five each. From that time on Erb 
improved, while Mitchell fell off until he was hopelessly in the rear. 

The score : 

Erb 





The Score 








110 11 


112 11— 91 Mitchell . 


.21111 


10 111—9 


112 


1111 2— 8 




2 111 


11112— 9 


112 11 


1110 1 — 9 




2 112 1 


2 111 1-1(1 


2 1111 


1112 1 — 10 1 




10 12 


1 1 1 1 1— S 


12 111 


2 110 1 — 91 




11112 


2 1110— 9 


12 12 1 


10 11 1— 91 




2 2 1 2 


111 2— 8 


12 12 1 


2 111 1—101 




10 2 


1 1 2 — ,") 


1112 2 


2 112 0— 9 




110 2 1 


2 12 1-8 


1112 1 


1111 2—10 

1 




2 2 2 1 


2 2 2 11— 9 


rotal 


931 


Total 




S.") 



ERB-BENNETT. 

(American Field, Sept. 2, 18S2.) 

Cameron, Mo. 
Editor American Field. 

August 8, at Chillicothe, Mo., Mr. Fred Erb, Jr., of St. Joseph, Mo., 
and Mr. John Bennett, of Linneus, Mo., shot a match at fifty pair of 
double birds each, trap and handle for each other, for $200 a side. The 
shooting was very fine, especially on the part of Mr. Erb, who won 
easily. The following are the scores : 
Erb 



-84 





.11 

10 




11 

10 


11 
11 




11 

01 


10 
10 


11 
11 


10 

11 


11 


11 


10 


11 


10 




01 


11 




11 


11 


11 


11 


11 


11 


10 




01 


10 




11 


10 


01 


11 


11 


11 


10 




11 


10 















80 



Bennett 11 11 11 11 01 11 10 10 00 

11 10 01 10 01 11 11 01 01 11 11 

11 01 11 11 10 10 00 01 01 10 11 

10 11 11 10 10 11 11 00 01 10 10 

00 10 11 00 11 01 11 11 —07 

WONDERFUL EXHIBITION. 

(American Field, July ii, 1885.) 
LaFayette, Iiid.— Mr. Fred Erb, Jr., shot an exhibition here on June 
29 with rifle and shotgun for the Ancient Order of Hibernians at the 
LaFayette Fair Grounds, which was witnessed by over 10,000 people. 
Mr. Erb was not in the best of condition to shoot, owing to the acci- 
dent which befell him on April 7, in which he broke his right wrist 
while giving an exhil)ition on roller skates. Since then he was unable 
to use the gun. Mr. Erb gave us some of his work with a Colt's light- 
ning rifle and broke 48 balls out of 50 thrown in the air, hitting all 
kinds of small coins and doing all kinds of fancy shooting that could 
l)c done with a rifle. Mr. Erb then stepped up to the score to break 
96 clay pigeons out of 100, in which he broke 100 straight with a 
Colt's twelve bore, weighing seven and one-half pounds. I\Ir. Erb is 
one of the quickest shots that ever went to a trap. He used only one 
barrel, 18 yards rise, 3 angles. Will Berry was scorer, and Dr. Cole- 
man referee. John McGuire. 

ERB-BOGARDUS. 
(American Field, Chicago, III., Jan. 14, 1888.) 

LaFayette, Ind. 
Editor American Field. 

The Erb-Bogardus match, so long talked of, took place here Jan. 
4, at I o'clock p. m. The shooting was at 100 live birds each, Hurling- 
ham rules, for $250 a side. Capt. Bogardus used a twelve-bore Scott 

6 Sons gun weighing seven pounds fourteen ounces, and shot four 
drams of Wood powder in the right barrel and four drams of black 
powder in the left barrel, using No. 7 and No. 8 shot. Mr. Erb used 
a Lefever twelve-bore weighing seven pounds fourteen ounces, loaded 
with y/2 drams of King's Quick Shot powder in both barrels and No. 

7 shot. The weather was cloudy, with the wind blowing across the 
traps. A stronger lot of birds could not have been had, as every bird 

81 



went when the trap was sprung. There was a large crowd in attend- 
ance and a good many visitors. There was very little betting. 

Captain Bogardus lost seven birds dead out of bounds and retired 
after shooting at 93 birds. Mr. Erb lost six dead out of bounds, which 
would liave given him 99 out of 100, and the nineteenth bird he shot at 
flew away hard hit. He killed his last 64 straight, whereat Captain Bo- 
gardus gave Mr. Erb the credit of making the best run ever made by 
any man in the w^orld. Captain Bogardus says he is the quickest shot 
he ever saw. Captain Bogardus used his second barrel 32 times, while 
Mr. Erb used his second barrel 17 times. The match lasted two hours 
and eleven minutes. Mr. Ed. Voris, of Crawfordsville, acted as referee. 
Mr. Wesley E. Wells, president of the LaFayette Gun Oub, and Albert 
Miller, president of the Crawfordsville Gun Club, acted as judges. Dr. 
Smith and Thurst Martin acted as scorers. The score was called at 
ever}' ten birds bhot at. The traps were drawn by dice. Captain 
Bogardus pulled for Mr. Erb and Mr. Erb pulled for Captain Bogardus. 

Ov.ing to the sad news that Captain Bogardus received, on arriving 
at the St. Nicholas Hotel, of the death of his beloved wife, the match 
was withdrawn that was to take place at the Acme feathered targets 
on January 5. Captain Bogardus made many friends while in La- 
Fayette. 

Following are the scores : 
Capt. A. H. Bogardus — - 



1111101011—8 
1011011111—8 
110 10 1111—7 
10 11 1110 1 — 7 
1111100110—7 



1 1 

1 1 

1 1 

1 1 



1 1 

1 

1 1 
1 1 



1—10 
1— 9 
1—10 
1— 9 



1 1 Ow 



Captain Bogardus retired after shooting at 93 birds, of which he 
killed T]. 



Fred Erb, Jr. 




































Ill 




1 


1 




1 


1 


0— 9 




















1—10 


111 




1 


1 




1 


1 


1—10 




















1—10 


111 















1 


1— 7 




















1—10 


Oil 












1 


1 


1 — 7 




















1—10 


111 




1 


1 




1 


1 


1—10 




















1—10—93 



ERB AGAINST BIRDS. 

{American Field, April 7, 1888.) 

LaFayette, Ind. 
Editor American Field. 

The dates of Mr. Fred Erb's shoot were changed from 
April I, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to March 26, 27 and 28. Mr. Erb shot at 200 

82 



targets on each of the first two days and lOO on the third day. The 
undersigned backed Erb to break 475 out of a possible 500. His score 
was a greater surprise to all than was expected, as part of the time 
there was a drizzling rain falling. He used his twelve-bore Lefever 
gun on the first 200 targets, sixteen yards rise, and his new ten-bore 
Lefever on the last 300 targets, standing eighteen yards from the traps. 
He thinks his ten-bore gun is a "daisy," which cannot be spoken of 
too highly. The Standard targets, of Cleveland, were also used, 
and they are fine targets to shoot at, as they break up very fine. I think 
489 out of 500 very good. Three traps. National rules, were the con- 
ditions. Following is the score: 

^londay. March 20. 

Fred Eib, Jr. 11111111111111111111 11111 

1111111111 1111111111 11111 

1111111111 1111111111 11111 

1111111111 1111111111 1111 1—100 

1111111111 1111111111 11110 

1111111111 11111110 11 11111 

1110 111111 10 111110 11 11111 " 

1111111111 1111111111 11111— 9G 

Tuesday, March 27. 

Fred Erb, Jr. 1111111111 1111111111 11110 

1111111111 111111110 1 lllll 

1111111111 1111111111 lllll 

1111111111 1111111111 1111— 97 

1011111111 1111111111 lllll 

1111111111 1111111111 lllll 

1111111111 1111111111 lllll 

1111111111 1111111111 lllll— 99 

Wednesday, March 28. 

Fred Erb, Jr. 1111111111 1111111111 lllll 

1111111111 1111111111 lllll 

1111110 11 1111111111 lllll 

1111111111 1111111111 lllll— 98 



ERB-GRAHAM. 

(American Field, May 5, 1S88, at Louisville, Ky.) 
The Monaco rules governed throughout, except there was no wire 
fence to guard the boundary. This difference, however, with the ex- 
tremely close boundary, made the shooting the hardest ever done, and 
score made under the conditions w^as a magnificent one. It was ex- 
actly seventeen yards and twenty-one inches from the two outside 
traps to the line. The boundary line was a circle, and all birds to 
count as dead had to fall to the ground and be gathered within the 

83 



boundary. If a bird crossed the line at all, in the air or on the ground, 
before it had been gathered in, it was counted as lost. 

Mr. G. G. Berry was chosen as trap-puller, Mr. J. M. Barbour 
referee, and E. A. Anthony official scorer. In addition to these Mr. J. 
C. Levi acted as scorer for Graham and Mr. A. C. Courtney for Erb. 
The contestants were to shoot alternately at one bird, each using both 
barrels if required. Erb used a seven and one-half pound Lefever 
and Graham the same weight Lang gun. Each used three drams of 
powder and one and one-eighth ounces of shot. 

Following is the score in detail for the first match : 

Erb 0101111011 1111010111 11111 

0111111010 1111111111 10111 

1110110100 1101100111 11011 

1011111011 1111001111 1011 1—78 

Graham ..0 111111101 1011111111 01001 

1101110011 1111101111 0101 

11110 1111 1011010101 11111 

1110111111 1110 111101 1011 0— 7G 

ERB-GRAHAM. 

(American Field, May 12, 1888.) 

LaFayette, Ind. 

Editor American Field. 

I send you the score of the match between Wni. Graham, champion 

of England, and Fred Erb, Jr., of LaFayette, Ind., at Connersville, Ind., 

on May 2, at 25 pigeons each, Hurlingham rules. Graham, at 29 yards, 

shot a Lang gun, and Schultz powder. Erb, Jr., at 31 yards, shot a 

Lefever gun. Both barrels were used. Following is the score: 

Graham 1111101111 1111101111 0111 1—22 

Erb 1111111111 1111111111 1011 1—24 

The above race was an exhibition merely. The third race was to 

have been shot at Connersville, but could not be on account of the 

scarcity of birds. But the third race will be shot in some city in the 

United States as soon as arrangements can be made for good birds. 

ERB-LeCOMPT. 

(American Field, Chicago, III, Dec, 19, 1903.) 
The Indianapolis Gun Club has issued programs for an all-day 
shoot New Year's Day, at which time the third contest for the English 
Hotel Cup will occur. On December 5, C. O. LeCompt contested with 

84 



Fred Erb, Jr., for the cup and was defeated by a score of 87 to 70. Mr. 
Erb was challenged immediately by Mr. Ed. Voris, of Crawfordsville, 
and this event will come off on New Year's Day The club has ar- 
ranged some interesting features in connection with the shoot and a 
large attendance is expected. J. W. Bell, Sec'y. 

Indianapolis, Ind. 

ERB-VORIS. 
(American Field, Chicago, III., Jan. 9, 1904.) 
In the contest at Indianapolis on New Year's Day between Fred 
Erb, of LaFayette, Ind., and Ed. Voris, of Crawfordsville, Ind., for 
the English Hotel Cup, Erb won by one target. The scores were : 
Erb 85, Voris 84. James Michaels, of Indianapolis, Ind., has challenged 
Erb to shoot him a match for the cup, but the date for the race has 
not yet been announced. 



85 



SKETCH OF AUTHOR'S LIFE. 

(From LaFayette, Ind., Herald, 1895.) 
The Herald takes pleasure in presenting to its many readers today 
a brief outline of the career of Fred Erb, Jr., LaFayette's champion 
shot. 

Fred Erb, Jr., was born 41 years ago in this city, in a modest frame, 
one-story dwelling on Oregon street, on the i6th day of August, 1857. 
He was given a fair education in the public schools of this city. Young 
Erb was a born shot, having inherited his talent from his father, who 
also in his day was a king at the traps, and was the first man ever 
to shoot a live pigeon match in this country, defeating William King, 
of London, England, for the world's championship and $1,000 a side. 
Fred Erb, Sr., also shot a great match with Jack Taylor, of New Jer- 
sey, for $2,500 a side, but was defeated in his match. This great event 
was shot off at the old Opp homestead many years ago. Old timers 
will still remember this great event, as John Opp at the time made a 
big barbecue out of the event and over 5,000 persons witnessed the 
great match. 

Fred Erb, Jr., at the age of eight was sent to Lexington, Ky., by his 
father as a rider of- running horses, Fred keeping this up until the age 
of 18. During his career as a jockey he rode the great winners of those 
days, known to turf fame as Rambler, Prairie Boy, Silver Tail, Bull 
of the Woods, Gypsie and other celebrated blue grass stock. 

At the age of 12 years his shooting qualities first came into publicity, 
and while riding the circuit of running horses he was often backed by 
his father in live pigeon matches, in which he scored signal victories 
at the trap. Erb's great achievement that brought him into national 
fame was his challenge to Captain Bogardus, who was then the all 
around champion of the world. This match came off in March, 1880, 
at St. Joseph, Mo., Erb killing 93 to Bogardus' 83 birds. 

At St. Louis, in January, 1881, Erb in a contest with a number of 
celebrated shots killed 25 straight birds, winning $800. 

Several years ago Erb retired from tlie professional arena to engage 

86 



in dog training, having been solicited to do so by many of the dog 
fanciers of the country. However, the old fever returned and last 
winter Mr. Erb again took up the trusty and will prepare to go for 
the championship of the world again. Mr. Erb opened his career last 
February, when he won the Grand Hotel Trophy, defeating George 
Beck, of Indianapolis, also defeating Elmer Neal in this city last 
April. In connection with his work at the trap the same interest will 
be given his kennel, which now contains - some of the most blooded 
stock in the country. Erb has a national reputation as a successful 
trainer. He has trained dogs for all the celebrated sports in the 
country. 

Erb's training methods are ideas strictly his own. The dogs are first 
taught to retrieve, and then after becoming used to the call of the 
whistle are given actual experience in the field. A visit to his kennel, 
in the northwest corner of the Snoddy addition, will at any time repay 
any person who is an admirer of blooded dog stock. The Herald is 
glad to see Erb back again to battle for the championship honors of the 
trap, and will not only watch his future career with interest as he 
battles for LaFayette's credit to again grasp the championship trophy, 
but will take equal pleasure in heralding forth the great deeds that 
he will accomplish, as the targets dart from the unknown angles of the 
traps and in the greater flights of the difficult left quarters of the 
tough old pigeons. 

Mr. Erb defeated Mr. C. W. Budd easily for the American Field 
Cup at Davenport, Iowa, several years ago. Mr. Erb has made some 
wonderful scores and we doubt if there is a man living that can equal 
him with shotgun and rifle, or handling a dog for field shooting and 
retrieving. 

(American Field, January 7, 1899. At the Big Shoot, at Indianapolis, 
Ind., December 19 to 23, 1893.) 
Mr. Fred Erb, Jr., was on hand with three dogs, two English and 
one Irish setter, to do the retrieving. It is needless to say it was very 
satisfactorily done. The Irish setter had a great race with one of Jack 
Fanning's birds. The bird was hard hit, but when the dog went 10 
retrieve it, it flew around and around in the boundary until finally the 
dog caught it on the wing. It seemed as if the bird must have flown 
a good quarter of a mile, but at that it did not cross the boundary line. 

87 



(Sporting Life, Philadelphia, Fa., May 20, 1899.) 

Fred Erb, of LaFayette, Ind., handled the dogs in the live-bird i 

shooting. Fred is. an old timer on the traps and has shot some great 

matches in his day, some of them being imnsiially exciting. . 

i 

{The Peoria Herald, May 9, 1899.) | 

Happy Fred Erb is here again this year with his trained dogs— a i 

sight well worth seeing. ]\Iike Hurley, the well known base ball tun- \ 

pirc and correspondent of Sporting Nezvs, will referee all live-bird I 

events. 1 

(American Field, Chicago, 111., at Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 3 to 4.) i 

Before closing this report it is but justice to speak of the retriev- j 

ing. It was all done by three dogs (two setters and one pointer) from \ 

Fred Erb, Jr.'s kennels, of LaFayette, Ind. The dogs did their work \ 

in a quick, snappy way that frequently won the applause of the spec- ' 
tators. During their work for two days they made no mistakes, nor 

allowed a bird to escape them. i 

(Nashville Paper.) \ 

One of the most attractive features of the tournament has been the \ 

retrieving done by the dogs trained by Fred Erb, Jr., of LaFayette, | 

Ind. The faultless work of these dogs has been a source of pleasure : 

to every person who attended the shoot, the marksmen included. Mr. i 

Erb brought seven dogs with him and has opportunity to sell several of ] 

them since he came, but as they are dogs that he is training for other ; 

parties, he has been compelled to refuse all offers. Mr. Erb is a trainer j 

of gentlemen's shooting dogs, and is also a breeder of fine pointers ; 

and setters. His best advertisement is the work done by the dogs he j 

trains. \ 

(Indianapolis Nezvs, Dee. 22, 1898.) ■ j 

Fred Erb, of LaFayette, was doing the retrieving today with his ' 

dogs. Erb was formerly a crack shot, but in the last few years has \ 

devoted his time to training dogs for the field. He has been in big | 

demand this fall to furnish retrievers for live-bird shoots, and has j 

broken in a number of good dogs. He wull have charge of the retriev- j 

ing in the big handicap tomorrow. j 

88 i 



(Aincncan Field, Dec, 1903.) 
Last week I spent a couple of days with Fred Erb, Jr., of LaFay- 
ette, and had a most delightful time. We found plenty of birds, owing 
to Mr. Erb's habit of stocking the fields every spring with fresh quails. 
We did not kill many, but I enjoyed watching the puppies which are 
now in training work on them. Mr. Erb has one puppy less than four 
months old that would find and point birds and then retrieve them it 
killed. We shot a few pigeons one morning and I had a lot of fun 
watching the younger ones retrieve. While I was there some twelve 
orders arrived for the training device, five one morning before break- 
fast and all the orders mentioned the American Field as the paper 
in which the advertisement was seen. Further, Mr. Erb told me that 
he had received ten times as many orders through his advertisemeni 
in the American Field than all of the other papers combined. The 
training device is by far the surest method I know of making a forced 
retriever now on the market and at the same time it is easier on the 
^1^^ John M. Lilly. 

Indianapolis, Ind. 

(At the Illinois State Tournament, 1S98 and 1899.) 
T^Ir. Fred Erb, Jr., the great handler of gentlemen's shooting dogs, 
did the retrieving of all the pigeons. His work caused no delays of any 
kind. 

(American Field, Chicago, III, Aug 5, 1899-) 
We have always considered that retrieving is an important factor 
to a successful dav's shooting and consequently it is quite as essential 
that a pointer or setter should be taught to retrieve as to back or drop 
to shot or to wing. Field trials have made the pointers and setters what 
they are today, for they have not only stimulated breeders to produce 
superior animals, but they have developed a higher and more intelli- 
gent standard of training. Why not add to this standard the art of 
retrieving? What state field trial will be the first to require it? 

(American Field, Oct. 10, 1903, Chicago, III.) 
Fred Erb, of LaFayette, Ind., was at the tournament of the In- 
dianapolis Gmi Club with a string of his retrievers and gave to the 

89 



sportsmen present a fine exhibition of retrieving, demonstrating beyond 
all question his ability to make a good retriever in a short time out 
of any bird dog which has sense enough to come in to him when called. 

{American Field, November 28, 1903.) 
I inclose money order for registering two puppies in the F. D. S. B. 
I refuse to let anyone breed a bitch to my Keystone unless she is 
registered, and unless he will try to have the puppies registered. My 
dog Rodstone has been in charge of Fred Erb, Jr., of LaFayette, Ind., 
for the last eight months, and I have just got him home. He is a 
magnificent dog in the field, and I only had him in ]\Ir. Erb's hands to 
make a retriever of him. George Denny. 

Lexington, Ky. 

{American Field, August 8, iSgi.) 
A VISIT TO MR. FRED ERB, JR.'S KENNELS. 

Mulberry^ Ind. 
Editor American Field: It is not very well known among the 
sportsmen of the country that we have here in Indiana a man who 
is capable of training setters and pointers for high-class field work 
for private shooting as well as for field trial competition. However, 
most of his training, up to the present, has been for eastern gentle- 
men who only have their dogs trained for their private shooting; so 
he has not had the opportunity to run any of his dogs in the trials, 
but I understand he will have several entries in the trials this season. 
The gentleman referred to is no one less than the noted trap shot, 
Mr. Fred Erb, Jr., of La Fayette, Ind. 

I visited him some time ago and had the pleasure of taking a day's 
snipe shoot with him as well as to see his dogs work on snipe, which 
I assure you was a pleasure to me. He had at that time some fourteen 
dogs in training, and all looking well and working in good shape. He 
took out with him on our day's hunt two high-bred English setters 
that he has in training for a gentleman in Wisconsin. I don't know 
his name, but can say that he has a brace of good ones; and when Mr. 
Erb turns them over to him he can justly be proud of owning a 
brace of as well broken setters as any man can boast of, 

90 



Mr. Erb is located in one of the best all-round game sections of 
the west ; that is, for training dogs on all kinds of game. In the spring, 
he has the snipe within a few miles of his kennel. After he has 
worked his dogs through on snipe, he has abundance of woodcock 
within a half hour's drive of his home, and he tells me that there's 
where he gets the dogs down to business and puts that finishing touch 
on them that all sportsmen like, and that is obedience. 

After educating them thoroughly on woodcock, when the chicken 
season opens, he takes them from the bog and mire all hardened and 
fit for a hard day's work upon the broad stubble-fields of Benton 
county, where he has under his own control 25,000 acres of as fine 
chicken ground as the sun shines upon, and there he gives them their 
freedom to range. Now he stays right with them on their preserve 
until October 15, when the close season on quail expires, at which time 
he has them in shape to put the finishing touch on by working them 
out on quails, which are very plentiful in this section, not only plenty, 
but I believe I am safe in saying that they cannot be found anywhere 
more abundant than they are in this section of Indiana. Mr. Erb 
is a very ambitious and hard worker. He is out every day with a 
string of dogs, so that none of his dogs get stale for want of work. He 
turns them out perfect retrievers, no exceptions. 

He tells me that sometimes he gets a very stubborn case, but he 
says they must finally give up to his method of retrieving, which I 
am not able to tell you ; for it is a secret with him, but it fetches all 
alike, let it be bulldog or whatever. He says that it is a system that 
his father used in Germany and also in this country, and taught him 
several years ago when he and his father were shooting for the mar- 
ket, and no one knows the method to his knowledge but his father, 
Mrs. Erb and himself. However, it is a success and it does not intim- 
idate the dog; but on the other hand it makes a cheerful, obedient and 
careful retriever of all alike. 

Someone may ask himself the question why I have written this let- 
ter in praise of Mr. Erb's handling and excluded all others. It is 
simply this : I have had dealings with him and not with others. Mr. 
Erb broke for me last season a large, high-couraged black, white and 
tan Llewellyn setter dog after I had exhausted all my training ability 
upon him the season before, and pronounced him entirely worthless 
and gave up all hope of ever getting any good out of him. I was 

91 



telling Mr. Erb about him one day, and he said: "Let me take him 
and if I can't break him to suit you it will cost you nothing." 

I gave him the dog and in about five months he brought the dog 
out. That was last October. We went out quail shooting with him. 
He worked to perfection, and Mr, Erb got his money. To-day I am 
proud to say that I have as good a dog to shoot over as any man in 
Indiana, and the world can't beat him retrieving. I have written this 
letter simply as an honor due from me to Mr. Erb, and for the benefit 
of brother sportsmen who want dogs thoroughly broken at reasonable 
figures, to whom I can heartily recommend him. 

Geo. W. Earhart. 

Erb's Training Device is protected by Letters Patent. 



POINTS OF MERIT IN THE ERB COLLAR FOR DOGS AND 

CATS. 

Cats will not scratch and fight with the Erb collar on. 

The sweating of a dog or cat about the neck does not leave any 
smell or dirt on the Erb collar, or breed any diseases. 

No dirty collars, no heating or rubbing of the neck, no mange or 
sores on the neck. 

No canker of the ear caused by the dog scratching, as he won't 
scratch with an Erb collar on. 

No dog fighting, as the Erb collar prevents them from chewing 
the neck. 

Handy to put on, no smell. 

Dog cannot be choked to death, as the collar cannot be twisted like 
a leather or chain collar. 

Collars always look nice on a dog, and the dog feels proud with 
one on. 

Dog won't chew it up like a leather collar. No buckles, no holes 
to make. 

Don't have to take the Erb collar off the dog when you wish to 
wash him, as water and soap don't hurt the Erb collar. Dog won't 
jerk or pull against the Erb collar. 

You can hang fancy trimmings on the Erb collar, and it looks nice. 

No diseases can be caught with the Erb collar. 

In taking the measure of your dog for a collar, measure around 
the dog's neck close up to the ears. 

No tags, checks or names to lose or steal off the Erb collar, as all 
checks, tags, name or license numbers can be stamped on the Erb 
collar. 

A leather collar breeds disease, which can be carried from one dog 
to another. 

You can hold your dog easy with the Erb collar, as there is no 
twist or break, and you can put your name and dog's name and tax 
number and full address, and it will not be stolen, as it could not be 
used by anybody else like a leather or chain collar. 

You will be right in dog style when you use an Erb collar; they 
never rust or get out of shape. 

You don't have to draw the Erb collar up tight like a leather or 
chain collar to keep it on the dog's neck. 

03 



Your dog never gets loose with an Erb collar on. No breaking or 
unbuckling of it. If a stranger tries to take the Erb collar off the dog, 
the dog will bite him. 

The snap on the chain always pla3^s all around the Erb collar and 
won't get fastened. 

You can send the measurement of your dog's neck if your dealer 
has not got the Erb collar, to Fred Erb, Jr., Lafayette, Ind. 

Price one dollar. 

FRED ERB, JR. 
TRAINER OF ALL KINDS OF HUNTING DOGS, TRICK DOGS 

AND CATS. 

Terms : For trainings dogs complete — $75, one-half down when 
the dog is shipped, and the balance when the dog is broken and ready 
to show to the owner ls a completely broken dog in every way. 

The dog will be taught to point, to retrieve from land or water, 
to heel to foot or wagon, to charge and to be obedient to gun or 
whistle wdien birds flush. It takes about five months to break a dog 
completely. 

Terms for teaching a dog to retrieve and to be obedient about the 
house, $50. It takes from ten days to one month to make a good re- 
triever. 

Plenty of snipe, woodcock, quail and prairie chickens to work the 
dogs on, and good horses and hunting wagons to use to carry the dogs 
in. 

Persons interested in good training invited to call and inspect the 
kennels. Instruction in shooting and hunting given at certain seasons 
of the year. 



94 



1 CHALLENGE THE WORLD 



TO EQUAL MY DEVICE 
FOR TRAINING A DOG 

To retrieve from land and water, and to be obedient in 
the field. No spiked collar; no pins; no pulling of ears 
and no stepping on dog's feet. Done in a simple, 
pleasant way. The complete device, with a book of 
instructions and fifteen pictures showing how to begin 
and end. 

I challenge all authors of books on retrieving to an 
exhibition or contest, to show what they can do at 
making a dog retrieve, to take place at any Kennel 

Club, or newspaper office. 

FRED ERB, Jr., 

Lafayette, Ind. 
Price, $5. 



95 



SYSTEM OF RETRIEVING. 

FIRST LESSON. 




No. 53. 



96 



SECOND LESSON. 




No. 54. 



THIRD LESSON. 




No. 55. 



98 



FOURTH LESSON. 




No. 56. 



99 



FIFTH LESSON. 




No. 57. 



100 



SIXTH LESSON. 




No. 58. 



101 



SEVENTH LESSON. 




No. 59. 



lOi 



EIGHTH LESSON. 




No. 60. 



10^ 



NINTH LESSON. 




No. 61. 



]U4 



TENTH LESSON. 




No. 62. 



105 



ELEVENTH LESSON. 




No. 63. 



106 



TWELFTH LESSON. 



\ 



i 



.1 



mm. 




No. 64. 



107 



THIRTEENTH LESSON. 




No. 65. 



108 



FOURTEENTH LESSON. 




No. 66. 



ino 



FIFTEENTH LESSON. 




No. 67. 



110 



HH^' 



\^ 






